Breaking the Deal
by NKSCF
Summary: After fighting Z-list villains, Spider-Man finds the former Dr. Strange, who tells him he's caused damage to reality, and he needs to fix it. With Strange's guidance, Spider-Man sets off to fix his mistakes, not knowing the consequences of his actions.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone. This is my second fan-fic, which will focus on Spider-Man as he attempts to do what he can to fix a mistake he made years ago. Expect to see guest stars galore later on, and hopefully a fun read. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to correct or change here, especially continuity, which I'm a little OCD about. Thanks in advance.

Part I: The Realization

Chapter 1

Spider-Man pressed his fingers to his right palm and activated his webshooters, allowing himself the chance to gain a hold on the building to his right, just as the building in question was destroyed by Lady Stilt-Man.

"Yikes!" he yelled, barely turning himself around in time to gain access to another nearby building.

Surveying the damaged building, Spider-Man caught a glimpse of a woman falling out of it as she reached out to grab her infant son, but from the angle she was at, she'd never reach the kid in time. Crouching as he stuck to the building he was on, Spider-Man sprung forward to get to them in time, barely avoiding a blast from White Rabbit's umbrella, and reached the falling boy first, grasping onto him with his left hand, while letting go of his web sling in order to grab onto the falling mother.

"Thank you for choosing, Spidey Airlines," Spider-Man said as the woman shrieked as she realized that they were free-falling. "Please note that we're experiencing some turbulence in the area." The newest man to claim to be Cyclone sent a gale force wind at him, throwing off his aim as he brought another web sling onto a nearby flagpole. "But fear not, fair citizen, for I shall get you to safety."

"We're going to die!" the woman shouted.

"Wouldn't be the first time for me," Spider-Man said, as he brought the woman and her child to the streets below, where a pedestrian took care of them once Spider-Man let go of them. "Now just remember in the next election year to vote old Jolly Jonah out of office and we'll be square!"

Slinging another web, Spider-Man sent himself into the air to get away from the civilians, who were wisely getting out of the way of the hero and villains as they fought. Spider-Man did not pretend to understand what was going on, but earlier that day he'd heard that a group calling itself the Spider-Man Revenge Squad had appeared and were threatening the city unless he came to fight them. Figuring they were higher-tier villains, Spider-Man had prepared himself for a long battle, but the moment he'd arrived, he'd been anything but impressed. The last Spider-Man Revenge Squad at least had the Spot on its roster, and he'd been less of a joke as the years went by. This Squad, however, was led by the White Rabbit, who'd gathered Lady Stilt-Man, a new Cyclone, and another Mindworm, who seemed to hold a grudge against Spider-Man for reasons beyond his knowing. The Squad had destroyed several buildings in the Brooklyn section of New York City, which, for some reason, was devoid of superheroes, forcing Spider-Man to work alone, which he didn't mind in the least, considering who he was up against.

Spider-Man approached Cyclone, sending an impact web into his chest before the man could counteract it. Cyclone fell over his own feet and down onto the street below, almost falling to his death, but Spider-Man reached him in time to cushion the blow, and then punched the criminal in the face, knocking him out completely.

"Well fighting you was a breeze!" Spider-Man called as he went for his next foe. "Oh, even I'm ashamed of that pun."

"Shut up, insect!" Lady Stilt-Man cried out from behind him as he barely avoided her growing hands when they tried to grab him. "If it hadn't of been for you and that fool Deadpool I could've been big in this town! I hate you both!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, chuckles, but spiders aren't insects," Spider-Man said as he sent a web line into her face, causing her to yell out in surprise when she couldn't see. "But I do have to agree with you on one point, though: Deadpool doesn't get that much love from me either, but at least he's better to deal with than you!"

Lady Stilt-Man thrashed about as she tried to regain her sight, accidentally causing one of her stilted feet to lose its balance and make her fall. Yelling obscenities as she did so, Lady Stilt-Man cursed Spider-Man for his reckless way of removing her from the battle.

Content that she was out of the picture for now, Spider-Man turned around to find that both Mindworm and White Rabbit were ganging up on him. The newest Mindworm was garbed in an outrageously pink color, and a worm insignia was on his chest.

"Okay, I have to ask," Spider-Man said, barely missing a telekinetically-thrown piece of debris, "why go by Mindworm? Why not something original like…uh…Worm-Man?"

"Shut up, insect!" Mindworm said, flinging another piece of debris at his foe. "This is to pay you back for disgracing the first Mindworm! He was an inspiration to me!"

"Inspiration? From Mindworm? Wow, and I thought Lady Stilt-Man's reasons for being here sucked. Besides, didn't we just go over this? Spiders aren't—"

White Rabbit cut his sentence short by sending another blast from her umbrella from atop the mechanical rabbit robot that she normally brought into battle and a strong wave of energy ran through his body, his spider-sense not alerting him in time to prevent the blast's arrival. Falling to the ground, Spider-Man faded in and out of consciousness.

_No, _he thought. _I'm not going to die today. Besides, if I died because I got killed by the White Rabbit and a knockoff of Mindworm, Johnny Storm would laugh over my grave, and there is no way I'm letting that hotheaded punk get the better of me._

Shaking his head, Spider-Man sent a web out in the direction of the gigantic rabbit robot, using his strength to guide his path to the back of the immense rabbit. Grasping onto the metallic mecha, Spider-Man checked it for any panels he could use to deactivate it, as years of working with gigantic robots had allowed him to learn that they all had a panel like that away from the villain's reach.

"Let's see here," he sang, opening one such panel. "The first doohickey is attached to the applied phlebotinum. The applied phlebotinum's attached to the shut off device thingy, so let's quit singing and turn it off."

"What?" White Rabbit asked, incredulous. "What are you doing?"

"Singing a mechanical version of 'Dem Bones,' what else does it look like?"

"He's sabotaged the rabbit!" Mindworm grasped, as he also realized that he was standing on the rabbit with his partner.

"Impossible!" White Rabbit shouted out. "No one could do that!"

"Except for me," Spider-Man said, watching the mechanized rabbit start to shut down. "Or anyone else smart enough to realize that you have a shut down panel on the _back_ of the freaking rabbit robot. Seriously, how dumb are you? Then again, you're the one dressed up like a rabbit. I was more terrified watching _Night of the Lepus_ than when I deal with you."

Before White Rabbit could offer a rebuttal, she fell off of the rabbit, just as Mindworm followed suit, forcing Spider-Man to ensnare them in an ersatz web cage, ending their threat to the city as he lowered them down to the waiting policemen, while the gigantic rabbit robot then crashed away from any civilians.

"This looks like a job for Damage Control," Spider-Man noticed as the officers took all four criminals away. "And I am so glad I don't work for them."

"Look at him!" one of the pedestrians called out. "He caused all this! None of this would have happened if it hadn't of been for him!"

Spider-Man turned around to look at the man yelling at him. He was used to people not liking him, had for years, but it didn't mean that he never cared.

"You shut up!" a woman's voice cried out, and when Spider-Man turned to see her, he found the woman that he'd saved from earlier. "That man just saved my baby and me and he did it without looking for recognition or fame! He's a hero!"

Spider-Man smiled underneath the mask. It was nice to get some recognition every now and then. Normally all it would take was one pedestrian to call him out, and then the others would all follow suit, but today it seemed like the crowd was taking the mother's side.

"It was my pleasure, ma'am!" he called out, as he began to swing away from them, the smile still on his face.

In a better mood now, Spider-Man decided to head back home, even if that meant that he would have to inevitably see his roommate, Michelle Gonzales—not known for her calm state of mind—but it was better than almost getting killed by a Z-List villain. He might even call Aunt May to check up on her, seeing as it had been a while since he had done so.

Ready to fire off another line of webbing, Spider-Man suddenly became aware of a figure levitating in the middle of the street. Curious, he noted that his spider sense wasn't going off, so whomever or whatever it was, they weren't there to harm him, at least not yet.

Getting closer to the figure, Spider-Man found the former Doctor Strange looking back at him with a grim look on his face. About to send out another web-line to keep himself in the air, Spider-Man realized that he was standing on it as if it were solid ground. Looking back up to see Strange, he sighed.

"There's something bad going on, isn't there?" Spider-Man asked.

"Unfortunately so, my friend," Strange said, his eyes broadcasting fear, an emotion that the normally calm magician managed to keep away from others. "I'm afraid that you have done something to distort the universe itself and only you can undo what happened."

"I did what now?"

"Come with me, and I shall explain everything."

Before Spider-Man could offer a reply, Strange teleported them right into his home: The Sanctum Sanctorum, where he would explain just what was bothering him.

A/N: Well there's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will see Spider-Man talking to not only the former Dr. Strange, but the newest Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Voodoo as well about why they're so worried and how Spider-Man plays into things.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, here it is. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter and will hopefully continue to do so when they can. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or rewrite. Thanks, and please enjoy.

Chapter 2

Visiting the Sanctum Sanctorum had always been one of Spider-Man's least favorite things to do when it came to his job. He always enjoyed Dr. Strange's company and his help whenever Spider-Man was in need of a mystical guide, and Wong was always a good straight man for his jokes, but the house where they lived was downright creepy.

Mysterious and potentially lethal talismans from dimensions he could barely pronounce were all over the place, and Spider-Man had fallen victim to some of them far too many times than he'd like to admit. Magic wasn't an area of the world around him that he liked to be around or to even admit was possible, but he'd be stupid if he ever claimed that magic didn't exist in the world he lived in. He'd experienced its wrath and its generosity more than enough to give it the respect it deserved. However, he was still a scientist by nature, and the contradictions between the two were sometimes hard to distinguish between, so he just accepted whatever people like Dr. Strange said when it came to the matter of magic. But hearing that he was responsible for some distortion in the dimension he lived in was a bit too far-fetched for him to believe.

The trip from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village took place barely over a second of time, but for Spider-Man, it had given him enough time to think about what Strange had told him. He was curious as to what the sorcerer was implying, and knew that if he had caused some damage to time and space, then he would work to fix it as fast as possible.

"We are here, Peter," Strange said, as the two entered the sorcerer's home.

The hearing of his own name made Spider-Man furl an eyebrow beneath his mask, but then he remembered that he'd told the good doctor about his secret identity once more following his revealing it to the New Avengers and Fantastic Four. Protecting his civilian identity as the now jobless Peter Parker was important to him, so much that he'd managed to find a way for it to be impossible to discover unless he told someone about it. Strange had been a valued ally of his for years, and telling him who he really was hadn't been that hard of a choice to make.

"Thanks for letting me know, doc," Spider-Man said, recalling too late that Strange no longer was the Sorcerer Supreme of the dimension that they lived in, as he had recently lost his position to Brother Voodoo—now known as Dr. Voodoo—after Strange had released several dark spells when the Hulk had invaded Manhattan. "Oh, sorry about that."

"It is no matter, my friend," Strange said. "Besides, I did have a PhD before I was chosen as Earth's mystical protector. What is done is done. "

"You should write Hallmark cards, doc."

Spider-Man stood up straight and admired the Book of the Vishanti, one of many books that the former Sorcerer Supreme had been in charge of as a result of his past job. Over his life, Spider-Man had been accused of being a mystical being in his own right, as the man he'd known as Ezekiel Sims, a man who'd helped save Spider-Man from the deadly totem eating Morlun in a fight that the two had barely walked away from alive. Whether he was indeed a mystical totem force or not didn't concern Spider-Man, only what he might have done to hurt the dimension that his friends and family lived in. Until that was resolved, he would worry about nothing else.

"Master Strange and Master Parker, welcome," Strange's manservant, Wong, said, as he bowed to them. "Dr. Voodoo is waiting for you in the next room."

"Oh, this is a surprise party, isn't it?" Spider-Man quipped. "There really isn't some big dimensional threat caused be me, is there? No, I bet you anything that Matchstick, Luke Cage, and the Canucklehead all planned this, didn't they? Well go ahead and inform them that I don't have a birthday until a couple months from now."

"Peter, this is far from a laughing matter," Strange said, guiding him to the door. "There are dangerous forces at work here."

"So it's not a surprise party?" Spider-Man asked, as he nervously entering the room.

"Unfortunately, no, Spider-Man," Doctor Voodoo said, closing the door behind Spider-Man when he walked in with a wave of his hand. "There will be no surprise party today."

"Well that ruins my day, but then again it's me, so I might as well have expected this to happen. Oh well, what's this thing you guys are up in arms about that apparently I did?"

"There is no doubt that you did, my friend," Strange said, sitting down in an armchair behind him, as he invited Spider-Man to do the same.

"You have toyed with the universe in ways that you no longer remember," Dr. Voodoo said, eyeing Spider-Man with care.

"Well this is what I get for ordering that Build Your Own Universe set," Spider-Man said, sarcasm dominating his voice. "I knew I never should have played God. If only I'd been genre savvy enough to realize that man was never meant to do the same job as Him."

"Does he ever take anything seriously?" Dr. Voodoo asked Strange.

"He will in a moment," Strange said, arms folded. "Let him joke for now; it will help when he has to deal with the truth."

"You can't handle the truth!" Spider-Man shouted, raising a finger at Dr. Voodoo, who sighed and shook his head.

"Comical as ever, Peter, but now the jokes must stop. Listen closely to what we say to you, because you will need to remember every bit of it."

Spider-Man glanced back and forth between Strange and Dr. Voodoo, and frowned underneath his mask, knowing they were about to tell him something he didn't want to hear. Sighing, he relaxed in his chair and waited for them to start talking.

"Finally," Dr. Voodoo said, rubbing his eyes. "Spider-Man, you are aware of Biblical stories and folktales regarding deals made with the Devil?"

"Did the Beyonder need a haircut?" Spider-Man quipped.

Ignoring him, Dr. Voodoo continued, "Why do people in these stories feel compelled to do such a terrible and obviously self-defeating move?"

"Well, speaking from my experience with people like Johnny Blaze, they did it because they felt like they had no other choice. He always told me that he did it because he was foolish and lost, because he desperately wanted to keep the man he viewed as his father alive, but that the deal he made was supposed to cause, um, Crash Simpson, to have the cancer that was killing him taken away from him, but that he died while still having cancer, but he didn't die because of it, as the deal made sure to be careful about in its language."

"And who did Johnny make the deal with?" Strange asked, his face portraying curiosity for some reason.

"Mephisto, I think. Then after that Mephisto bonded him with what's-his-name…um, oh Zarathos, that's it, and because of that we have Ghost Rider. Wasn't exactly the best deal in the world to make, but it did give us Ghost Rider, and he's always been a great help to us, especially because he wants to guard the innocent."

"So would you say that the deal was a good thing?"

"Well…yes and no. I mean, it sucks that Crash had to die, but what happened after that was very beneficial to the world."

"So, theoretically, if someone were to make a deal with Mephisto or a demonic being like him that caused someone they loved to be saved, yet had no side effects, that would be good for the entire universe, correct? Judging by your logic."

"What are you getting at, doc?"

"Spider-Man, something has happened that has irrevocably changed the dimension that we live in," Strange said, standing up to join Dr. Voodoo. "Something that has caused it to lose its energies in a way that sends them somewhere else, thus empowering that plane of existence and cause ours to grow weaker in comparison."

"Recently the Guardians of the Galaxy were engaged in a battle with the Inhumans and the Kree against the Shi'ar and the Imperial Guard," Dr. Voodoo said. "In it Black Bolt and the former Emperor Vulcan were killed in a blast that caused a rift in time and space. This rift was dubbed the Fault, and it has released several dangerous individuals into this dimension."

Spider-Man nodded, having heard stories of the happenings in the outer galaxies from Reed Richards during one of their many team-ups. He had been very glad to know that someone else was dealing with that kind of responsibility, as he was out of his class when it came to the threats that could destroy entire universes.

Lost in his thoughts, Spider-Man realized almost too late that Strange had spoken. "The Fault has allowed these beings to come into our own dimension and attack us in an attempt to further empower theirs. However, they were allied with a being that gave them the chance to allow this Fault to come to being in the first place. If events had happened differently in the true path of our dimension, they would not be a threat to us at all, Peter."

"So someone allowed these people to come into our dimension by making a pact with the same being that's allied with the individuals from the Fault," Spider-Man said, nodding. "And judging from what you told me when I first saw you today, you think that that person is me for some reason."

"Indeed," Strange said. "Very astutely put, Peter."

"But how could I have done something like this? I didn't mean to. I'm just a simple guy who just lost his job the other week and had to deal with the Juggernaut and Captain Universe the next. I would never willingly do something like this…whatever it was that I did."

"And you did not do it willingly," Dr. Voodoo said, as he placed his hands around the Eye of Agamotto. "See for yourself once we have prepared you for this."

Before Spider-Man could react, the Eye of Agamotto engulfed the entire room in a white light and took him inside of itself. Strange and Dr. Voodoo were both approaching him and the former placed a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder.

"Peter, you must know that what you see here is the result of desperation and of being manipulated by a being you were not prepared to fight against," Strange said. "From another's point of view, you could be called responsible for this, but due to certain…issues, I believe that you can be absolved of any wrongdoing."

Spider-Man nodded and looked over at Dr. Voodoo, who was pointing over to a screen of light that was showing an image of Spider-Man in his civilian disguise Peter Parker, along with his Aunt May and friend Mary Jane Watson, only there was something different about them. For some reason they were gathered together as if they were all family and as if they were on the run from someone. Looking down to Mary Jane, Spider-Man admired her features, recalling the time that the two had almost been married. If he hadn't of been so concerned for her safety, the two might have been able to be together, but he could never willingly put her in danger like that. He loved her too much to do that to her. But if he did, why was there a ring on her finger?

"Because this is the timeline of our dimension as it should have gone," Dr. Voodoo said. "The scene you see before you is what happened to you right after the Superhuman Registration Act, but not as you remember it."

"Why is it different?" Spider-Man asked, confused.

"Because of what is about to happen next," Strange said, frowning. "In this timeline, you revealed your secret identity, which caused your family to be placed in danger, especially after you decided to defect to the losing side."

Spider-Man stared at him for a moment, but then returned to the scene in front of him, almost jumping when an assassin's bullet shot Aunt May. Unable to stop himself, he tried to jump out and save her, but all he managed to do was pass through the image, just as he saw the woman who had become his mother get shot. Pushing himself back up, Spider-Man watched as the Peter in the image took Aunt May to the hospital, and the doctors talking among themselves about how she was likely to die. Then the image changed, showing Spider-Man contacting other heroes and villains for help, going through such visionaries as the High Evolutionary, the then Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, and even Dr. Doom, but none of them could help him out. Eventually Aunt May told Peter to get over her condition and to move on with his life, even though he was in danger and could no longer use his civilian identity without getting Mary Jane in trouble as well.

Spider-Man clenched his fists, hating the images he saw through the Eye of Agamotto. None of them were good to see, especially the ones involving Aunt May. What had he done to keep her safe? Had he made a deal with someone to ensure her safety? But who? How could he have done something like that after his aunt had told him to let go of her and to move on? What kind of coward disrespected the wishes of the woman who'd raised him?

"One who was emotionally and mentally manipulated," Strange said. "Emotionally you had to let go of the woman who'd raised you as her own, but that was something that you could do, because you loved her enough to let her die in peace. Mentally, however, you were deceived, as were the individuals that you sought guidance and help from."

"But who?" Spider-Man asked. "Who manipulated all of us? Who could have that much power to make people like Dr. Doom and you unable to help my aunt?"

"You haven't guessed it yet?" Dr. Voodoo said, shaking his head. "You already talked of him earlier."

Spider-Man searched his mind for the answer, watching the screen as it showed Peter and Mary Jane being confronted by a small girl that looked remarkably like the both of them, and by a giant demonic figure, one that Spider-Man was all too familiar with.

"Mephisto!" he shouted out, realizing just what he'd done. "Oh my God what have I done here? I couldn't have done this! I would never do something as stupid as this!"

Unable to control his feelings, Spider-Man started leaping around, sticking to the walls of the Eye of Agamotto for a moment and then jumping to another.

"Spider-Man!" Strange yelled, as he sent a spell out to capture his friend mid-jump. "We need you to calm down. Watch the rest and then you may start to judge your actions."

Biting his lip, Spider-Man nodded and Strange let go of him, allowing him to watch the rest of what the screen had to offer. Mephisto had just offered them a deal for their marriage in exchange for May's recovery, no strings attached. It didn't make sense; why would Mephisto just want their marriage? He claimed that he didn't like it and that it made him mad, but that couldn't possibly be the reason for it.

_Oh no, _Spider-Man thought. _We made the deal, didn't we? No, this can't be happening to us. Mary Jane, what have we done?_

Surprisingly, it wasn't Peter who made the deal with Mephisto as he'd thought, but it had been Mary Jane, who whispered something in Mephisto's ear, just as Mary Jane and Peter kissed one another and the world around them changed.

Spider-Man lifted his mask and tried to find his breath, while the Eye of Agamotto closed and brought them back to the room they had been in before. "No," he said, pacing around the wall of the room anxiously. "That didn't just happen. That was impossible. She wouldn't do that to us. Not Mary Jane. And I just stood there and let her do it too! I'm the worst husband in the history of the world! I'm no better than Adam as he just watched the serpent offer Eve the fruit! My God, what have I done? What have we done?"

"Peter, please calm down for a moment longer," Strange said, his voice resonating a cool tone that caused Spider-Man to breathe slower. "Just listen to what we have to say and then you may rant and rave for a moment's time."

Jumping down from the walls, Spider-Man stared at Strange and Dr. Voodoo, wishing that the two would end their practical joke on him and tell him that no such thing had ever been true, and that Mary Jane and he had not sold their marriage to a demon in exchange for his aunt's health. But when the two continued to look gravely at him, he knew it had all happened and that the woman he had been married with had made the deal for him.

"There may be a way to get things back to the way they were," Dr. Voodoo said, causing Spider-Man's interest to pique.

"But you must remember that if Mephisto is ever forced to recant on the deal that he has made, then the universe will also demand a sacrifice," Strange said, a look of dread on his face. "I wish that I could tell you differently, Peter, but that is how the world operates."

"But what can I do to make this better?" Spider-Man asked.

"Spider-Man, do you realize that this is not entirely your fault?" Dr. Voodoo asked. "That you did not do this willingly?"

"I…I guess I…I don't know. I could have made that deal. If Aunt May were ever in that much trouble…I might be able to do something like that."

"Would you really?"

Spider-Man shook his head. "No…even if it meant keeping her alive. I love her with all of my heart, but she would never forgive me if I did that."

"It is good that you realize this, because we must tell you of the greater evils that have arisen because of this deal."

"Like the Fault?"

"Yes, like the Fault."

"Peter, Mephisto has grown stronger because of this deal," Strange said. "So much that even the other fierce lords of the dimensions that border his are scared, even if they won't admit it. Even the dread Dormammu is frightened by this development. Do you know why Mephisto offered this deal to you?"

"I don't understand why either," Spider-Man said. "It doesn't make sense. Why would he willingly heal my aunt and only want my marriage in exchange for it?"

"Because of your future daughter."

"My what?"

"The little girl that you saw in the visions from the other timeline. That would have been your daughter in a few year's time had you remained married to Mary Jane."

"But why would Mephisto be scared of any child of mine? We're not mystical by any means. I try to avoid dealing with the stuff that you two deal with on a regular basis."

"The little girl will one day become apprenticed to me," Dr. Voodoo said. "She will gain her powers from you and your mutated genes, but she will also gain an aptitude for magic once she grows older. All human beings are attuned to it, but some are more gifted than others. One day, years from now, your daughter shall confront Mephisto and render him powerless, and in the process she shall save untold billions of lives. He knows this, and has made sure to get rid of her the best way he knows how: By manipulating people and taking their innocence from them."

"But how do you two know this?" Spider-Man asked. "How did you find out that he had also manipulated you if he was so strong?"

Strange and Dr. Voodoo exchanged glances at one another before the former spoke, "We found out by accident."

"By accident?" Spider-Man repeated, scratching his head. "Okay, what does that mean?"

"We were contacted by your daughter," Dr. Voodoo said.

"But how could she do that if she doesn't exist yet?"

"During Mephisto's attempt to take your marriage, he also took a younger version of the woman who would one day defeat him to help you make your decision. This young girl was just being used, at least until her future self realized what was happening, almost too late to send a message to us. She sent a hypnotic suggestion to Strange and myself, causing us to seek out the Fault, where we found evidence of temporal distortions. We then researched the causes, as none of us could seal the Fault, eventually figuring out exactly what had happened."

"So…is she still alive? My daughter?"

Dr. Voodoo shook his head. "She died the moment the deal was made."

"Oh, God," Spider-Man said, bringing his hands to his face. "Oh, God, no. I'm sorry, Lord, I never meant for this to happen."

"Praying to God may help you for now, Peter, but you cannot rely on prayer alone to solve this problem," Strange said.

"I have to find Mary Jane and figure this out. I have to make things right."

"Peter, you must realize that you were being manipulated. We all were. Mephisto made sure to blind us to the truth. When you contacted me then, I had the power to call beings from dimensions all over the multiverse that could have saved your aunt's life, and yet I found myself unable to do so, or even recalling that I could do so."

"I have to leave now," Spider-Man said, running out the room. "I have to make things right and get Mary Jane."

"Spider-Man, wait!" Dr. Voodoo called out, trying to bring back with a spell, but the quick reflexes of his target caused him to miss, and before he could do anything else, Spider-Man had left the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Strange sighed and looked to the Sorcerer Supreme. "Give him time," he said. "He will come back to us. In the meanwhile, we must prepare for his journey to set things right once more."

Dr. Voodoo nodded and left with Strange for the latter's meditation chambers, ready to help their misguided friend out in any way that they could.

A/N: Next chapter will focus on Mary Jane, as she learns from another source of the deal that they made, and her attempt to contact Peter in time to make a plan. I don't know when I'll be able to write it, but it should be a relatively short chapter, so probably very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a ton of work to get done during the first part of this week. Anyways, here it is. Please let me know if there's anything wrong with it, and once again I appreciate the reviews.

Chapter 3

Mary Jane Watson posed for the camera as the small photographer took a picture of her wearing the latest summer fashions of the store that had hired her for the photo shoot. Having done this multiple times in her life, Mary Jane shifted herself into the proper positions, knowing instinctively where she should be in the picture—which was set to show a tropical island behind her—and to wait for the photographer to be ready. It was easy work, and something that she had been doing for years, even when she'd quit it to become an actress, something that had not been going as well as she would like to admit it to her friends, who were few in number as time passed in her life

"Great job, Ms. Watson," the photographer said, smiling at her. "We're done for the day, unless there's something else you need."

Mary Jane returned the favor and said, "No, I think that'll be just fine. I'll see everyone here tomorrow at the same time."

"Goodbye."

Mary Jane nodded at him, waved at someone she knew to her left, and then walked out of the modeling agency she'd been working in. She yawned, the direct result of losing sleep from being forced to head from city to city to work for whomever her agent had found. She didn't mind not having a set schedule anymore, as she preferred things to be at least a little bit on the chaotic side, just for fun.

The sunny New York summer air caused her to smile again, and she closed her eyes, but for some reason when she did so, Mary Jane saw the image of her former fiancée, Peter Parker in her mind. Frowning, Mary Jane tried to figure out why that had happened to her, as the two of them had parted under amicable enough terms years ago, as the both of them had realized that they could never be safe if they were together, due to his double life as Spider-Man, a decision that hadn't been easy on either of them.

Realizing that she'd left her phone on silent, Mary Jane shoved her thoughts on Peter to the side and looked at it to turn it back on fully, where she found that he had tried to call her.

_Well this is odd, _she thought, as she stared at the number, knowing that it was the one that he carried with him when he was out patrolling the city. _He never calls me from this number. What could be going on that he'd do something like that?_

Shrugging, Mary Jane began to redial the number, but a sudden feeling of dread filled her body, causing her to involuntarily shudder. Looking around her, Mary Jane found nothing out of place or abnormal, even though she was in the one city that seemed to be populated by every one of the super-powered beings who were either actively trying to help others or doing everything they could to harm others. She'd met several of them due to her relationship with Peter, but none of them had ever really had an effect on her, besides probably Captain America, but meeting the living legend and talking with him was something very few people could say they'd done.

"Must be my imagination," Mary Jane said, beginning to redial the phone, just as she saw a portal open up in front of her.

Mary Jane gasped as the purple and red wormhole stretched itself open in the middle of the street, and watched as terrifying demonic figures exited it. Holding a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming, Mary Jane knew that she was in trouble immediately and hastily called Peter, as she ran away from the demons, who varied in size, with the tallest standing near as big as the skyscrapers that populated the city, and the smallest looking about the size of tiny German Shepherds.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" Mary Jane cried out, as she dodged a volley of hellfire sent forth by a demon that looked familiar to her. "Come on, Peter!"

Mary Jane clenched her fists and socked one of the smaller demons in the face, causing it to fall back and hit its allies, thus giving her an opportunity to get more of a head start.

"Do not let her get away!" the demon Mary Jane thought she recognized ordered. "Our lord demands it!"

The pedestrians in the streets, realizing the fact that they were following Mary Jane and no one else, got out of her way, causing her to wish them an early demise, which she later came to regret when some of them were ripped apart by the demons behind her.

_N'astirh, that's his name, _Mary Jane thought. _I remember him from that Inferno Crisis a few years back. Peter told me all about him later on one day. But he doesn't seem to be in charge here, so who's controlling him? The N'astirh that Peter talked about was used to giving orders, and not following them. _

"Hello!" Peter's frantic voice shouted out from the other side of the phone. "MJ? MJ? Are you there? Please be there!"

"I'm here, Peter!" Mary Jane shouted out, as she avoided another demon. "And I'm in trouble!"

"Where are you? What's wrong?"

"Near the Empire State Building. I'm being attacked by some demons. A lot of them. Can you get here in time?"

"I can now."

"I'm hanging up. I need both my hands to protect myself."

"I'm coming, MJ. I'm not that far away from you right now. Just hold on."

"I know, tiger. I've always known."

Mary Jane closed her phone and jumped over a homeless man as she deposited the phone into her pocket, and the man was attacked by the demons running after her. Trying not to panic, Mary Jane focused on believing in the fact that Peter would reach her in time. He had never once tried to fail her before, and he certainly wouldn't start now.

Before she could react, a rogue demon grabbed her from behind and almost caused her to lose her balance, but she managed to keep it long enough to twist the demon's weight enough to force it off of her and into a nearby street light. Working with Captain America as an instructor in martial arts and self-defense had been a plus of her old life with Peter.

"Sorry, guys," she said, smiling with reckless abandon, "but you're dealing with one of the pros here. I haven't lived this long in New York to not be ready for the likes of you."

N'astirh laughed at her and said, "Such fire I see in your spirit. It must be broken."

Rather than come up with some witty comment, Mary Jane continued to run away from the demon horde, hoping that buying enough time would allow Peter the chance to come and save her. Realizing that she had to generate even more time for him, she pulled out her sidearm, one that she'd trained with for years to defend herself, as she had had one too many stalkers to deal with in her time as a model and actress. It had even worked well against the Green Goblin when he had tried to capture her some time ago. What it would be able to do against any actual demons she didn't know, but she was content in the knowledge that it would stall them long enough for her to be rescued. Whirling around, Mary Jane took aim at the nearest demon and fired off a round into its head, surprisingly getting a kill shot. Emboldened, Mary Jane tried it again on another demon, hitting it where its heart should have been, but to her surprise it merely shrugged off the blow and instantly regenerated the lost tissue.

Cursing silently, Mary Jane decided to go back to her attempt to run away from them, just as three pink demon-like creatures the size of Volkswagens emitted their tongues from their own mouths, causing her to cry out and close her eyes, but to her surprise nothing hit her. Looking out to see what had happened, Mary Jane saw the Rocket Racer before her, wearing a satisfied grin on his face as he deflected the tongues of the creatures with his shield before the both of them. Next to him was the Prowler, who had decapitated another demon to her right.

"Don't worry, beautiful," Rocket Racer said as he blew a kiss to Mary Jane. "We've got everything under control."

_I ask for help and I get Rocket Racer and the Prowler? _Mary Jane asked herself. _There's no way they can win here. They're out of their league. Those are Dire Wraiths they're fighting! I remember them from the last time they tried to invade Earth! Why in the world are they working for N'astirh? None of this makes any sense at all._

"You've got to get away from here, you two!" Mary Jane yelled. "You can't take them on like this! Wait for help!"

"Don't sell us short, sweetheart," Prowler said, as he attacked the Dire Wraiths. "It's just a couple Dire Wraiths and demons. This is child's play."

_No, it's not you, idiot,_ Mary Jane thought. _They want me for some reason that I can't even explain, and there's no way you can win. Neither of you are strong enough for that._

Deciding to use the short reprieve the two had offered her, Mary Jane ran away from the sight, wishing that Peter would hurry up and reach her before someone got hurt.

"And what is this?" the horrifying voice of N'astirh asked. "Two little whelps who think they can defeat me?"

"We'll do more than that, ugly," Prowler said, as he and Rocket Racer advanced on the demon. "No one wrecks New York and gets away with it while we're in the neighborhood."

N'astirh laughed and moved over to the two of them and swatted them into the first car in their path, knocking them both unconscious in one blow. As Mary Jane had just registered that fact that her defenders were down for the count, N'astirh advanced on her and scooped her up in his hand. He laughed as she tried to find a way to get out of his grasp.

"Yes, keep struggling, woman," N'astirh said, laughing. "My new master has need of that spirit."

"Who are you working for?" Mary Jane asked. "And why? You'd never work for anyone else. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because I was defeated and implanted with ancient magic that compels me to do as I am instructed, no matter what I want to do. If I disobey, I am punished and weakened, so I will do as I am told until I can break free of this and destroy Mephisto for what he has done to me."

"Mephisto? He's behind this? But why?"

N'astirh laughed once more. "You honestly do not remember, woman? Then I imagine you shall find out soon enough. I will, however, tell you that you are to be the bait for the one called Spider-Man, in order to make sure he does not annul the deal that you two made with my new master."

"Deal? What deal?"

"Silence, woman! I grow weary of your prattling!"

N'astirh raised his other hand and touched Mary Jane in the center of her head, sending her away through a portal into her new destination. The last thing Mary Jane saw in her native dimension was Spider-Man slinging in her direction with his hand outstretched to hers.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. The next chapter will focus on what Spider-Man was doing during the events of this chapter, and his confrontation with N'astirh as he tries to locate Mary Jane. Until next time, everyone.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, sorry about the delay, but it's just been one of those weeks test-wise. As usual, please let me know if there's anything that needs my attention. Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 4

Spider-Man slung from building to building with a speed he rarely used, and with a reckless nature that caused him to misinterpret the angle needed to grasp onto his next targeted building, causing him to fall down near the oncoming rush hour traffic of New York City. The first bus that came near him swerved to avoid him, almost hitting a man on a Harley, as he was patiently waiting for a chance to move forward. Spider-Man, realizing his idiocy, leaped to the man and picked him and his motorcycle up, barely missing the both of them, and stopping just in time to prevent any damage to the other vehicles on the street.

Setting the man down on the side of the road, Spider-Man said, "Sorry," and jumped up in the air to continue on his way to where he knew Mary Jane Watson was, or at least he thought he knew. From an earlier conversation he'd had with her, she'd mentioned that she would be in the area near Fifth Avenue, but where that was he couldn't remember.

_That was reckless, Peter, _he chastised himself, as he continued on his way. _If you keep up like this you'll never get to MJ in time. You don't even know if she's under any danger, but then again that's not that farfetched of an idea, especially considering what we deal with on a regular basis here in New York. Please be safe, MJ. I could never forgive myself if you got hurt before I could get there to help save you._

Pushing his thoughts aside for the moment, Spider-Man accelerated and tugged on the web-line he'd just made to push himself up, in order to gain a better position to scan the city. He knew the likelihood of seeing Mary Jane was horribly low, but he couldn't think of a better plan to find her, until he slapped himself in the head a moment later and grabbed his phone.

_I swear, Spidey, you can sure be stupid sometimes, _he informed himself. _I mean, who just forgets the fact that he has a phone right next to him when someone's in danger? Imbecile._

Dialing Mary Jane's number, Spider-Man heard it ring, and waited for her to pick it up, but when it had finished up, the only voice he heard was the random one that belonged to the automated response all phones had. Snarling, Spider-Man placed the phone back in his utility belt and gritted his teeth together, hating the fact that he had failed to reach her.

_She must be working right now, _he thought. _She knows that when I'm calling from this number it's very important. She's my only normal friend who knows about my double life right now. Is that…Does she know because of the deal? Wasn't that one of the things she whispered to Mephisto when I watched it happen? Gah, I hate this! Why can't this world ever be simple?_

Frowning underneath his mask, Spider-Man sighed, just as he became aware of the large explosion underneath him that came from one of the many banks of New York. From the blazing fireball came the figure of what he assumed to be a villain that he hadn't seen in years: Fusion, the merged bodies of scientists Pinky and Hubert Fusser. Fusion was dwarfish in size and was surrounded by an orange-yellow hue that imbued the area around it with radiation. What he was doing in a bank, Spider-Man had no idea, as Fusion's M.O. had normally revolved around the absorbance of energy to strengthen himself. Behind Fusion, the battered form of Woodgod came out of it. The misshapen satyr looked over at Fusion and leapt at him to begin his attack, which had obviously taken place inside of the bank.

Spider-Man watched the entire scene unfold as he debated whether or not if he should help the less experienced Woodgod out against a foe he obviously had no chance against.

_I need to get to MJ, _he said, but sighed. _But I can't leave them. I'd never forgive myself if someone got hurt because I did nothing. Forgive me, MJ. What in God's name is Woodgod doing in New York, anyways? Last I heard he was out in the desert with those thingies named the, um, Changelings I think. That sounds right. Why am I even asking this question?_

Swinging down, Spider-Man glimpsed the battle between the two mismatched foes, right as Woodgod was sent into a nearby building and his head hit it with enough force to briefly make him temporarily lose consciousness. Fusion seemed pleased with himself and smiled.

"We told you to leave us alone!" Fusion yelled as he rose his fist and shook it in the direction of Woodgod. "All we wanted was money for the research to separate us into our true bodies! But until we can do that we must feed!"

"Then maybe I can help with that," Spider-Man announced as he continued to swing down to Fusion, who looked up at him with horror in his eyes. "Here's a knuckle sandwich!"

Before Fusion could react, Spider-Man demolished his face inwards with a blow right in the center of it, causing the radioactive amalgamation to lose its stability and fall apart into the weakened forms he had been mixed from. If he had cared, Spider-Man would have noticed that Fusion's energy levels would have prevented himself from separating, but the force of the blow had caused the combined brothers to momentarily end their union and collapse to the ground.

The people on the street cheered Spider-Man on and chanted, "One punch! One punch!"

Spider-Man stood over Fusion, and watched as the two brothers tried to reestablish their connection. Grunting under his breath, Spider-Man sent a web-line to who he assumed was the brother named Pinky, forcing him away from his brother, just as he punched Pinky in the face and flung a small rock at Hubert, sending him into unconsciousness as well.

"I am in no mood!" he announced as he clenched his fists.

A noise to his right caused Spider-Man to notice Woodgod getting back up. Content that the genetically-modified being was okay enough to stand, Spider-Man left without saying a word to his fellow hero, leaving the latter vastly confused and speechless as he stared up into the sky to watch the red and blue web-head sling away. Woodgod scratched his head and walked away.

_Dang it, _Spider-Man thought. _I've wasted too much time here. I have to go find MJ to make sure we can find a way to make things better._

Leaping over a building, Spider-Man went in the direction of Fifth Avenue, which was still too far away for his tastes. In the distance he saw the figure of the Empire State Building, as well as the Baxter Building, the home of the Fantastic Four. Looking to the Baxter Building, he saw the outlines of the Fantastic Four engaging what appeared to be one of the many monsters of the Mole Man.

"Looks like they need help too," Spider-Man said, but then reconsidered. "No, I can't go out to solve every single brushfire in this city. I have to find MJ first. That's my top p—Son of a Brood Queen!"

His spider-sense tingling, Spider-Man dodged a beam of pink energy that protruded from the metallic arms of Nimrod, a time-traveling Omega Sentinel that had fought the X-Men several times to a standstill. Groaning, Spider-Man realized that Nimrod was fighting the members of the Young Avengers, as well as what looked like Gravity and a new form of Deathlok. Figuring that they had it covered, Spider-Man ignored them and swung away, hoping that none of them saw him seemingly running away from the fight.

_What is it with this city that makes every nut job for miles around think it's a good idea to start blowing things up? _Spider-Man asked himself. _I mean seriously, I've gone past like three fights in the span of three seconds. What's up with—Is that Howard the Duck fighting Drom the Backwards Man with Tagak the Leopard Lord? I give up; why bother complaining when it's just gonna keep happening whether I like it or not?_

Spider-Man barely registered the fact that his phone was ringing until it was almost too late, but he grabbed it just in time to yell out, "Hello! MJ? MJ? Are you there? Please be there!"

"I'm here, Peter!" Mary Jane shouted out, as something made a shrieking noise in the background."And I'm in trouble!"

"Where are you? What's wrong?"

"Near the Empire State Building," MJ said. "I'm being attacked by some demons. A lot of them. Can you get here in time?"

"I can now," Spider-Man said.

"I'm hanging up. I need both my hands to protect myself."

"I'm coming, MJ. I'm not that far away from you right now. Just hold on."

"I know, tiger. I've always known."

Spider-Man placed the phone back in his utility belt and glanced in the direction of the Empire State Building, where he saw a distinct aura of negative energies surrounding the area near it. Winged demons and massive monstrosities filled the Manhattan side of New York City. Panicking, Spider-Man rushed over to them, knowing Mary Jane would be near them.

_Please, God, let me get there in time, _he prayed. _I know we've screwed up and done what none of us should have, but please help us. Please forgive us._

Wishing that his prayers didn't sound so one-sided, Spider-Man pressed onward to his destination. An explosion to his right and the sound of demonic cackling—combined with his spider-sense—let him know to avoid a small device that almost blew up in his face. To Spider-Man's displeasure, it looked like a pumpkin bomb. Sensing another threat, Spider-Man dodged yet another pumpkin bomb, finding that his assailant was a beast that had died years ago, one that had almost killed him several times before.

"Demogoblin?" he said, unsure. "No way. You're dead. You've been dead for years."

But Spider-Man knew in his heart that the insane being on the goblin glider ahead of him was the very same Demogoblin, though he couldn't figure out how. Demogoblin stood on its goblin glider in a crouched position, as it brought out its limitless tongue and cackled into the formerly beautiful summer day. A wave of hellfire left its hands and singed Spider-Man on the right foot when he managed to get away from it and land on a water tower to his left. Spider-Man had last seen Demogoblin when the latter had died saving the life of some children in one of the demon's few good acts in its misbegotten life.

"Did you miss me, Spider-Man?" Demogoblin asked. "I was so _crushed_ when we were forced to part the last time."

"That…was an incredibly lame pun," Spider-Man said, as he sent some impact webbing at Demogoblin, hitting the bottom of the glider when the demon flew higher.

Demogoblin had been formed when Jason Macendale, one of the original Hobgoblins, had made a deal with the demon lord N'astirh in order to become more powerful by bonding himself with a demon from Limbo, but he had later come to hate his decision and had the demon taken away from him, thus creating Demogoblin, but how Demogoblin could possibly be alive was beyond Spider-Man's comprehension.

Spider-Man knew that Demogoblin was more than a match for him, and every moment that he spent fighting it would cause Mary Jane to be in even more danger. Deciding to take the offensive, Spider-Man jumped up and attached himself to the glider, just as he used some of the added momentum he'd gained to reach Demogoblin's back, which he promptly kicked with both feet, causing the demon to lose its balance and fall, but it wheeled around and hit the ground with its feet, gaining little or no damage. However, just as it looked up, Spider-Man's right fist met its face, sending its face into the pavement. Before the demon could react, Spider-Man slammed his fists into it again and again, never giving it a chance to strike back.

Demogoblin had never seen its foe attack anyone in such a way, and it knew immediately that N'astirh had sent it out to fight Spider-Man only as a stalling maneuver, and that its whole reason for being resurrected was to act as a misshapen punching bag. Howling with each punch that reached its face, Demogoblin found itself unable to think anymore and blacked out.

Spider-Man, seeing that the demon was down for good, stood over his beaten foe for just a moment, and then swung away, knowing that he'd wasted too much time fighting against it.

_I don't know whether I should be ashamed of myself for being so brutal right then, or to congratulate myself for being so pragmatic, _Spider-Man thought, as an all too familiar frown began to form on his face.

Rising over the next building in his way, Spider-Man finally found the woman that he had been looking for in the hands of a massive demon that he had never seen before, but had heard about due to his connections with the X-Men: N'astirh was holding onto Mary Jane, as the latter tried to get out of the demon's grasp. Spider-Man noticed the limp forms of the Prowler and Rocket Racer nearby and knew that they had tried and failed to aid Mary Jane against a threat they barely understood.

Reaching out his hand, Spider-Man swung down to Mary Jane, but she disappeared once N'astirh placed a hand on her head and she disappeared in a flash. Missing her hand by inches, Spider-Man collided with a street sign and fell to the ground in a rage.

"Mary Jane!" he cried out.

"No, it's N'astirh," the massive demon said with a smirk as he tried to swat Spider-Man with his hand.

Spider-Man jumped up to avoid the blow, feeling a wave of deadly energies beneath him as he did so, and he knew that he would have to be careful if he wanted to stay alive.

"The rest of you may leave," N'astirh said to the demons around him as he stared down at Spider-Man with mild amusement.

Spider-Man watched as the lesser demons and what appeared to be Dire Wraiths left the road and disappeared into some unknown realm.

"Why are you doing this?" Spider-Man asked. "Who are you working for? Why?"

N'astirh snarled. "You're the second person to ask me that today," he remarked. "And I'm still angry that I was even bothered to be asked such a thing. Who am I working for? Who do you think? Who could possibly have the power to control me? Me! N'astirh! Feared across the cosmos as a bringer of destruction and discord! Who did you give the chance to have such power to cause me to submit to his will because of this?" N'astirh pointed over to a growth on his neck, which seemed to have been lodged in there by some controlling force. "Who did you give the power to by making a foolish deal, mortal?"

Spider-Man stared at the demon lord in horror, knowing instantly who N'astirh was referring to.

"And because of you I am forced to work for him!" N'astirh roared, as he attacked his foe with another swipe of his hand, which Spider-Man avoided. "He invaded my realm, destroyed my allies, and implanted this aberration inside of me to control me! Mephisto never would have been able to do this if it weren't for you, insect!"

Spider-Man leapt into the air and simultaneously snatched a broken car door with a line of webbing, throwing it at N'astirh, who deflected the door with a swat of his hand. Spider-Man landed on a streetlamp and looked at his foe, who now stood before the unconscious forms of the Prowler and Rocket Racer. Cursing himself for not thinking about their safety, Spider-Man made his way over to them, dodging a volley of hellfire in the meanwhile, just as he grabbed Prowler with one hand and flinging him into the air, and then did the same with Rocket Racer. Using his speed, Spider-Man crafted a net that caught the heroes. N'astirh stared at his enemy as Spider-Man performed the act, wondering who would be foolish enough to act so stupid in the middle of a fight.

Spider-Man, content with their safety for now, left the limp bodies of the Prowler and the Rocket Racer behind to confront N'astirh, knowing that he was out of his league against him, but he also felt that if he could fight him long enough, help would arrive.

N'astirh renewed his assault, forcing Spider-Man to twist mid-swing and use his powers to stick to a nearby window, where the woman inside screamed for him to get away from her. Knowing she'd be in danger if he stayed there much longer, Spider-Man lifted himself into the air and sent some web fluid at N'astirh's left foot, sealing it to the pavement for now.

_I was too late, _Spider-Man thought, hating himself for admitting his failures. _I couldn't get to her in time. Gah, if I hadn't stopped to help out, I could've made it here in time, but no, I have to act like the hero I always wanted to be. Then again Woodgod was out of his league, and he might've died if I hadn't saved him from Fusion. What is wrong with me?_

"Pay attention, insect!" N'astirh growled, as he began to grow larger in size.

Spider-Man mentally slapped himself for not paying attention to the task at hand, sent out a web-line to nearby building, and used it to propel himself into N'astirh's abdomen, causing the demon to grunt, but not to fall, as Spider-Man had intended. He knew that the blow he'd just sent would've been able to at the very least stagger a calm Hulk or send Morlun a block away, but his might was nothing compared to the powers N'astirh held. What could he possibly do to stop him at all? It was impossible to do.

_Calm down, Spidey, _he reprimanded himself. _You've faced tougher opponents. You beat Firelord once for heaven's sake. You can do this. You just have to think through it and make sure N'astirh doesn't make you fry in the meanwhile. _

"Hey, N'astirh, are you really that weak?" Spider-Man asked as he drilled N'astirh in the head with some more impact webbing. "I mean, you just lost your entire kingdom to Mephisto, dude. That's awful. What kind of demon are you? That's downright pathetic. I heard that the other demons were making fun of you the other day."

"Shut up!" N'astirh ordered.

"Sorry, don't know the meaning of the words, N'astirh."

"Then I shall make you know!"

N'astirh paused in the middle of the fight as Spider-Man landed on top of a deserted bus, wondering what his foe would do. He knew from talks he'd had with Wolverine that N'astirh was a very formidable foe, and that he had caused the Inferno Crisis in order to gain control over the Earth. He knew that the demon controlled vast amount of energies that would send even the most capable sorcerer into despair, and that he had been infected with the techno-organic virus sometime ago, which just made him even more powerful. However, none of those powers were anything compared to what he saw now: N'astirh growing in size to fill in two blocks of the New York streets.

Gulping, Spider-Man thought, _I might have made a mistake._

"Now look upon me and despair, mortal!" N'astirh shouted, as he raised both his hands in the air. "I may have been forced to stay here and stop you by my new master, but I will not do so in this manner! You are dead!"

"Not yet, chuckles," Spider-Man said, wishing he was as confident as he sounded. "I've still got a trick or two up my sleeves."

N'astirh ignored Spider-Man's rebuttal and grabbed a statue from a fountain and hurled it toward Spider-Man, who ducked to avoid it and then snatched onto it with two well-placed web-lines, as he remained stuck to the surface he was on in an effort to make sure that the statue could not hit any of the civilians that had been unable to leave the fight in time. His heroics, however, left him wide open for N'astirh to smack him up into the air, forcing Spider-Man to spin around to regain some form of mental stability, and to dodge yet another swing from N'astirh.

_Come on, Peter, find some way to make things help you out, _Spider-Man thought. _What can you do to get rid of N'astirh?_

Spider-Man examined his foe, noting each of the demon's features, and eventually resting his eyes on the growth on his neck, which N'astirh claimed had been an implant forced upon him by Mephisto. If he could find some way to get rid of it, then maybe N'astirh would lose his will to fight him, as he would have no reason to, since Mephisto was no longer controlling him. But how could he do it? The implant seemed to be deeply embedded inside of N'astirh, and unless the demon would actually allow him the chance to work out a way to get rid of the implant, there was no way Spider-Man could gain access to it.

_Leave that to us, Spider-Man, _a voice in his head said, almost causing Spider-Man to lose focus of what he was doing. _We shall distract N'astirh, and once the moment is right, you shall take my blade and slice the implant off of him._

"What the heck was that?" Spider-Man asked, just as N'astirh snatched him from the air and forced him to the side of one of the many brick buildings in the vicinity.

Grunting from the pain, Spider-Man's vision faded in and out, but when it came back he saw N'astirh looking back at him with murderous intent in his eyes.

"I was forbidden by my master from killing you, and even know this implant forces me to act according to his will, but I shall let you know now that I have grown tired of you, insect, and when I break free of Mephisto's control I shall end your miserable life," N'astirh said. "For now, I am to deliver a message to you: If you continue to fight against him, Mephisto will take your former wife's soul and keep her with him for eternity, then he shall—Argh!"

In the middle of his ultimatum, N'astirh was attacked from all sides by daggers of the purest light, causing him to lose focus and drop Spider-Man from his grasp. Freefalling, Spider-Man became aware of a dark figure who enveloped him and transported him away from where N'astirh had been moments before. Opening his eyes, Spider-Man found Cloak staring back at him, and also saw the brilliant beauty of Dagger, who was standing beside someone who he had seen only a few times in his life: Devil-Slayer, who was holding a large blade in his hands.

"Where did you guys come from?" Spider-Man asked.

Devil-Slayer answered him, "Strange's astral form contacted me as Cloak, Dagger, and I were fighting the Incandescent Man, and he told us that N'astirh had invaded this dimension and that he and Dr. Voodoo had foreseen you dying, so we needed to get to you, as Strange and Dr. Voodoo were being held back by an invasion of the Sanctum Sanctorum. How are you feeling, Spider-Man?"

"Had better days. Thanks, guys."

"Don't thank us yet," Cloak said, staring up at N'astirh, who had recovered from the attack Dagger had delivered.

"Just be ready to do as Devil-Slayer says," Dagger said. "We'll buy you some time."

Spider-Man nodded, as Cloak took Dagger into himself and teleported to behind N'astirh, and the two began their assault anew. Looking over at Devil-Slayer, Spider-Man found that he appeared to be weakened from some previous battle.

Devil-Slayer took notice of his concerns and said, "During the Skrull invasion, I was forced to use my powers to their max, causing me to be in much pain. After that, I tried to the best of my ability to go back to my old self, but I am afraid that my powers are not where they need to be anymore. I could barely assist Cloak and Dagger earlier."

"Then what can you do now?" Spider-Man asked.

"Offer you my sword, which can sever Mephisto's implant from N'astirh," Devil-Slayer said. "Here, take it now."

Spider-Man accepted the blade and marveled at its intricate design, as he also thought about how he'd hardly wielded a sword before in his life. "What do I need to do?"

"Be patient, and wait for them to provide an opening for you. When you feel the moment is necessary, let me know, and I shall take you to the spot where you shall end N'astirh and the control Mephisto has over him. The psychic backlash will be too much for the demon and he shall be forced to transport himself away from New York."

Spider-Man frowned, as he recalled what N'astirh had told him not but fifty seconds ago about Mary Jane's soul.

"He has the power to do it, if that's the question you're asking yourself," Devil-Slayer said as the two watched Cloak and Dagger duel N'astirh. "But he also wants to make sure that the two of you remain alive, for that is where his power is coming from: The deal you made and the continued existence of the realm that was created by it."

"How did you know about that?" Spider-Man asked.

"Strange told me, and I share his belief that you did not make that deal by choice. Spider-Man, you must realize this fact as soon as possible. You were betrayed by forces beyond your control. You must face this threat and restore the universe to its proper place."

"But if I fight against him, he could take her soul away forever. I could never point Mary Jane in danger like that."

"Spider-Man, she is in danger. You are a hero. It is our sworn duty to protect those who are in need, regardless of the situation that they are in. If you play your cards right, anything could happen, and she could be saved."

"But she's…I mean…what could I do? How could I possible save her? I've already failed her enough, haven't I?"

"Failure is but a stepping stone to finding the path to victory. Rise up from your faults and find a way to make sure they never happen again. Use the nobleness I sense in your heart to take control of this situation and make it follow your orders. You are in charge of your life, my friend, and you can take it back to the way it is supposed to be."

Spider-Man sighed, still not totally convinced to act yet, but he knew that the guilt of never acting at all would plague him. "Teleport me now," Spider-Man said, holding the sword with both hands.

Devil-Slayer smiled and enveloped Spider-Man within his cloak, taking the two of them to the back of N'astirh, who was busy fighting off Dagger's light daggers and Cloak's ability to transport harmful materials into his presence. Seeing the implant bulging from N'astirh's neck the instant Devil-Slayer brought them there, Spider-Man leapt right onto N'astirh and slashed it off, causing the demon to roar out in his pain.

N'astirh, feeling the sensations of a thousand tortures inside him, thrashed about and crushed anything in his path, and accidentally knocked Dagger into the side of a building, which made Cloak rescue her before anything else could happen. Eventually, after two more seconds of moving about aimlessly, N'astirh realized he was free from Mephisto's control and teleported back to Limbo, leaving Fifth Avenue safe for the first time since his invasion.

Spider-Man landed safely on a close fire escape, while he noticed Devil-Slayer returning to the ground thanks to his cloak, but saw that the hero was about to collapse and jumped out to prevent it from happening, getting there just in time to keep Devil-Slayer up on his knees. To his side, Spider-Man felt the presence of Cloak and Dagger appearing, but to his chagrin, Dagger was unconscious, and Cloak was resonating his anger, an emotion the young man had always had issues with for as long as Spider-Man knew him.

"Thank you, Spider-Man," Devil-Slayer said, as he stood up. "I shall take care of things from here."

Spider-Man turned to face Cloak and said, "I'm sorry, Tyrone. I didn't mean for things to happen this way. Tandy's a fighter; she'll be alright."

Cloak nodded, his expression still echoing anger. "She will be alright," he said. "We have suffered from worse. When the moment is right, we shall help you once more, Spider-Man, but for now we must recuperate. Farewell."

With that, Cloak took Dagger in his arms and transported away from them, leaving the two of them alone with the still unconscious bodies of the Prowler and Rocket Racer.

"I am weak, Spider-Man, and so are you, but I am not the one who must rest right now," Devil-Slayer said, putting a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder. "Go home, get some sleep, decide what must be done, and then meet with Strange and Dr. Voodoo for what must come next. Until then, I shall take these two to the Night Nurse, and recuperate as well. I am afraid that my part in this fight is over. I am not getting any younger."

Spider-Man extended his hand to Devil-Slayer, who accepted it. "Thanks for everything out there. It really helped me clear my head."

"It was my pleasure."

Looking up into the sky, Spider-Man sent out a web-line and began the journey back over to his apartment, where he would seek some way to get back the woman he loved.

A/N: Next chapter will focus on Spider-Man as he rests off the wounds from this fight, and a guest appearance by a familiar face from his past, one who he's always depended on in times of his greatest need. I don't know when it will be written, but I imagine it should be done by Saturday at the latest, as I have a test on Friday. Until next time.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Finally got some time to finish this. Please let me know if there's anything I need to correct here. (Oh, and if anyone cares, I just saw _Kick-Ass_ yesterday and it was awesome, so go out and see it!)

Chapter 5

Spider-Man snuck into the alleyway near his apartment that he shared with Michelle Gonzales, the sister of former policeman Vin Gonzales, who, months before, had tried to frame Spider-Man during the Spider-Tracer Killings. She was far from his favorite person to be with, especially now that he realized the infidelities he'd performed with her during a drunken one night stand. The thoughts of that one night and the aftermath caused a chill to run up his spine, but Spider-Man decided not to focus on it just yet, as he needed to get some rest if he was ever going to find out what he needed to do next.

Part of him wanted to head back to the Sanctum Sanctorum and help Strange and Dr. Voodoo fight whatever forces Mephisto had sent their way, but he knew that the two sorcerers were more than a match for whatever came their way, and that he would only get in the way if he tried to help out. Another part of him wanted to call Aunt May and ask if she was okay, as she had just started to recover from the dark side of her that had been brought out by Mr. Negative, but he knew that talking to her wouldn't improve his mood, no matter how sweet she sounded to his voice. All she would do to him was remind him of the fact that he's sold his marriage for her life, even after she'd asked him to let go of her.

Ducking behind a dumpster, Spider-Man found the clothes he normally placed there to help him dress quickly whenever he had to enter his apartment quickly. More often than not, he would just swing in through the bedroom window and redress there, but Michelle had started to show signs that she was suspicious of this behavior, as she never saw him come inside the room at all. Deciding it would be best, Spider-Man had elected to always enter from the front door, as he needed to protect his identity, and especially from her, since her brother had sworn vengeance on Spider-Man for putting him in jail.

Switching into a simple t-shirt and blue jeans, Spider-Man was no more, replaced by his true identity as Peter Parker, the world's unluckiest man alive and currently one of the many unemployed denizens of New York City due to an issue with J. Jonah Jameson, where he had tried to doctor a photo to protect Jameson's public face. However, it had backfired, and now Peter was looked down upon by every newspaper and magazine in town, even by Ben Urich, the one man he could always depend on to give him a job.

Sighing, Peter entered the apartment building, heading right to his, as he dwelled on what he had just experienced. Many a hero would be proud to say that they had defeated N'astirh in combat, especially when they could mention that they had been holding him off by themselves for a long amount of time, but none of that matter to Peter. He wasn't Spider-Man because of the fame; he'd learned his lesson a long time ago, and had sworn never to fall into its temptations ever again. No, he was Spider-Man because he had to be, because he had been the one to be blessed and cursed with his abilities. From the moment he'd been born it had been his destiny to save the lives of countless millions, which just made his recent discoveries that much harder to deal with.

He had made a deal with the devil, the closest form of one that he had ever seen in his many years of being a superhero. He had let it happen, and know he was facing the consequences of his inaction. It didn't matter that he'd been psychically and mentally abused by Mephisto's magic to take the deal, because it meant that he wasn't strong enough to resist and accept the reality that his aunt was going to die, and it had cost him his marriage. Now it had also cost him the chance to talk it over with Mary Jane, who was now being held captive by the same demon that had taken away their priceless and wonderful marriage.

Opening the door to his apartment, Peter walked inside, where he met Michelle's eyes, which seemed to notice the sour mood he was in immediately. However, they failed to let her realize that she wasn't supposed to talk to him.

"Well there you are!" she shouted. "Finally! I've been waiting for hours, Peter! Where the hell have you been?"

Peter ignored her and headed to his room, where he planned to shut the door and fall asleep, but Michelle interrupted his path by walking in front of it and staring him down.

"Hey, stupid, I'm talking to you," Michelle said. "There are some bills that need to be paid and I need you to do it for me. We made a deal and—"

"Michelle," Peter said, glaring at her, "shut the hell up, you useless idiot."

"What did you say to me?"

Grabbing her by her shoulders, Peter picked her up, placed her nest to him and shouted, "I said, "_SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU USELESS IDIOT!_"

Michelle, fazed by his uncharacteristic anger, stared at him with her jaw open, while Peter left her behind to slam his door shut behind him.

Sighing as he slumped by the door, Peter held a hand up to his head and massaged his forehead, as he heard Michelle yelling something derogatory in Spanish behind him. Not caring in the least, he ignored her words and fell down onto his bed, and began to dream.

* * *

Over many times in his life Peter had experienced sensational dreams and several times had even been given prophetic visions. Madame Web and several other clairvoyants he'd known had thought it a good idea to offer them to him in order to propel him to whatever they needed him to do, but Madame Web had not contacted him in a long time, and Peter was beginning to wonder if she was in danger, but he'd never had time to check any of his theories out.

He didn't know who was in charge of the dream he was in now, or why he needed to have it so lucidly, but every now and then he could see the red hair of what looked like a small girl, one he'd seen before. However, before he could search for her, another image appeared in front of him, one that almost sent his heart into cardiac arrest: Uncle Ben.

It took Peter a while to figure out that he was looking at his uncle, even though he was more than familiar with the image of the constantly smiling man who often wore very old and plain clothes. The figure that stood before him could not be anyone but him, but why he was there Peter couldn't find out.

The world around Uncle Ben was completely covered in a white frame of magnificent and lovely light, so much that it almost blinded Peter when he looked over at him. Uncle Ben was looking at Peter with an odd expression on his face, almost as if he was disappointed with him with something. It was then that Peter noticed that he didn't look like he normally did, as there was a pair of eyeglasses on his face, and the clothes that he wore looked like the ones that he had worn when he'd first been taken in by his uncle and aunt following the death of both his parents thanks to one of men who'd claimed to be the Red Skull. If Peter's memories were right, then he had to be at least eight years old, due to the surroundings that had changed the moment that he had figured out his change in age. Next to him was a pond, more than likely in Central Park, where Uncle Ben had taken him many times before to go fishing for fun. True enough, Peter found a fishing rod in his hands, and was surprised to feel the tugging of a fish on the lure, which caused him to hold on to it tightly.

"That's good, Peter!" Uncle Ben said, smiling as he watched his nephew pull the fishing rod to shore. "You've almost got him!"

Surprised at hearing his uncle's voice again, Peter lost control of the rod and the fish then managed to escape from him, causing him to frown.

"Ah, that's a shame," Uncle Ben said as he stood by Peter. "But that's alright, son. There are times in life when what you want gets taken away from you, but do you know what you have to do to get them back?"

Peter shook his head.

"You've got to throw the fishing pole back in, and make sure you get it right the next time. Mistakes can be made in life, and sometimes the fish can get away, but you've got to always remember that you can never catch them if you don't cast the pole. Do you understand, Peter?"

He nodded.

"Then why aren't you going back for your wife?" Uncle Ben asked, the area around them changing instantly into a misty realm of grey, and Peter mysteriously aged back into the body he had possessed before the dream.

"What?" Peter asked, not prepared for the sudden change in subject matter at all.

"Son, you made a mistake and that's not good, but why aren't you going out there to fix it right now?"

"Because she's in danger, Uncle Ben! If I go out to save her, then her soul will just be taken from her for eternity! I can't do that to her! If I do nothing and keep things the way they are, then she'll always be safe!"

"And when did Mephisto ever say that he was going to let that happen?"

Peter stuttered, as he tried to figure out where he had gotten that idea from.

"Because he never did, Peter, and you know it," Uncle Ben said. "Son, you're one of the most caring and selfless men I've ever had the pleasure of knowing in my life, but sometimes you make me wish that parental abuse was legal, so that I could slap you in the head to knock some sense into you right now."

Peter looked at his uncle, stunned from what he'd just said. While Uncle Ben and Aunt May were not very strict parents, they still disciplined him when it was necessary. However, he had never once threatened to physically abuse him, apart from the occasional spanking.

"You've got to understand that you can't always succeed, Peter," Uncle Ben continued. "I love you with all of my heart, son, but I can't sit idly by when you start going down a path that doesn't contend with your values. The Peter Parker I know would never have backed down from this once he found out that someone was in danger."

"But what can I do?" Peter asked, holding out his hands questioningly. "What could I do to stop someone like Mephisto, especially now that he's so powerful! I could barely take out one of his minions, and he was nowhere near as powerful as Mephisto is right now! What can I do to stop him, Uncle Ben? I'm powerless."

Seeing his nephew sink his head beneath his shoulders, Uncle Ben shook his head and walked over to Peter to place a hand on his shoulders. "By admitting just what you said to me at this very moment, son."

Peter looked up at him and furled an eyebrow.

"You are right, Peter: You are powerless to stop Mephisto, but only if you let yourself think that," Uncle Ben said, smiling. "You have so many friends who are willing to help you out in your hour of need, son, and they will come, but before then go by yourself to find her."

"By myself?" Peter repeated. "In Mephisto's home dimension? Are you insane?"

Uncle Ben continued to smile. "No, I am far from insane, Peter, but I know that this is the only way for you to succeed. You must start out by going by yourself to Mephisto's realm and confront the dark forces there in order to figure out how you can defeat him once you meet him. Despite what he would like to let you believe, he is far from being all-powerful, Peter. He can be defeated, just like any being in this universe can. You can stop him."

"Alone? I can stop Mephisto alone?"

"Peter, you need to listen to my words more carefully. I said you had to start off by going alone. What happens after that will only be to your benefit."

Peter frowned and placed a hand on his head to scratch it. "I…I just don't know if I can do that, Uncle Ben," he said. "I don't know if I have enough power."

Uncle Ben shook his head. "It's not your power that's important right now, Peter. It's the responsibility you have to correct your mistake. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll say this one last time to you: With great power comes great responsibility."

Peter looked up at his uncle and nodded. "And I'll never forget it, Uncle Ben. I know what I have to do now."

"That's my boy," Uncle Ben said as he came closer to Peter and hugged him. "I am, and always will be, proud of you, Peter. Never forget that either."

"Never," Peter said as he began to wake up, leaving Uncle Ben behind.

Satisfied with his nephew's response, Uncle Ben said, "You can come out now."

To his right appeared a small girl with magnificent red hair, a gift from her mother. She looked over at Uncle Ben and said, "Now I understand why he always talked about you. You really did know how to make him focus on what needed to be done, and how he always had the responsibility to do it."

Uncle Ben smiled. "And he'll pass it on to you should everything go as planned. For now, though, we must be patient…well, I should say that you should be patient and have faith in him, as I no longer have the chance for life, and more than enough faith in him to last me."

The redheaded girl nodded. "I have all the faith in the world for him. He has always been many things to me, but foremost among them was his will to be a man of his word. The moment that he ever said that he would get something done, he would do whatever it took to make it come true."

"Then I suppose that it is time for us to leave."

"Yes, it's all up to him now. Good luck, Dad. Knowing our family you need as much as you can get."

* * *

Peter jumped up out of bed and immediately ran to his closet, where he kept his many copies of his costume hidden, and took one out to put on, and swung out the window the moment that he was prepared. Nothing could stop him now; he had everything he needed to find a way to save Mary Jane. Now all he needed to do was find Strange again.

* * *

Spider-Man landed on the doorway to the Sanctum Sanctorum and watched as the door opened the instant he did so, with Wong ushering him inside, almost as if he had been expecting him to come for a very long time. Inside, Spider-Man was greeted by Strange and Dr. Voodoo, who both looked as if the battle that Devil-Slayer had mentioned had done very little to effect their confidence in him.

"You have decided?" Dr. Voodoo asked.

"Yes," Spider-Man said. "I want access to Mephisto's realm now. I've got to save my wife as soon as possible."

"Alone?" Strange asked. "You would not want one of us to accompany you? Or perhaps wait for the Avengers to come?"

"No. I need you to find me as many people as possible who can help me out. I need to go alone first, and then maybe send who you can find to help. All I know is that I have to go it alone for the first leg of the journey."

"Then that is how it shall be done," Dr. Voodoo said. "Come now, Spider-Man, and enter the portal I shall prepare for you."

"Dr. Voodoo, you don't have to tell me twice."

Spider-Man walked over to where Dr. Voodoo had indicated and waited for him to begin whatever incantations that would start the portal.

"You must remember that there are many dangers in Mephisto's realm, Peter," Strange said as Dr. Voodoo began to chant. "He controls every piece of it, and may very well attack you from the moment you arrive. I am currently offering you several mystic talismans that may ward off some of his magic, but they will not be enough. He is still growing more powerful by the day, as you noticed with his control over the great demon lord N'astirh, but he can still be beaten by us when the chance arrives. Have faith in yourself, Spider-Man."

"Will do, doc," Spider-Man said, just as Dr. Voodoo opened the portal up successfully, and sent Spider-Man inside of it, where he would find his first obstacle waiting for him the moment he appeared there.

A/N: Alright, the next chapter will focus on the first villain that Mephisto has placed in the way of Spider-Man's path. It shouldn't really come as any surprise to anyone who knows the character of Mephisto very well as to who it is, so I hope it'll be a fun surprise for everyone else. I have some exams this next week to worry about, so I have no clue when I'll be able to start on chapter six, but more than likely it should be done by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Until next time.

Second A/N: Thanks to paycheckgurl for pointing this out, but I made a minor continuity mistake here, due more to its canon idiocy than anything else. The part where I mentioned the "one night stand" between Peter and Michelle was, at first, described as Peter being drunk and not recalling the events of the night before. Fans took offense to this--and rightly so--and Marvel decided it'd be a very good idea to retcon this into saying that Michelle replaced Peter's alcoholic beverage with juice or cider or something like that, and the only reason he thought he was having a hangover was because he wasn't "used to drinking." This goes against the fact that Peter has been seen drinking alcohol before and would know much better than to do that in excess. I am not going to rewrite this section due to the plot induced stupidity Marvel offered to retcon their horrible decision to have Peter commit an idiotic act. It will remain as stands as it is the only one that makes remotely any bit of sense, and I think it puts his personal feelings over what he's just learned a few minutes ago into perspective. Thanks once again to paycheckgurl for finding this discrepancy and alerting me to it asap.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Well, it didn't take me as long as I thought it would to get to this. I finally got rid of my Chemistry lab, so I'm free of that for the rest of my adult life, and that's always a plus. (No offense if chemistry is your thing. I just personally suck at all the higher mathematics involved.) Please let me know if there's anything I need to change here, as paycheckgurl was kind enough to do last chapter on a continuity mistake last chapter I had to add a footnote on. I appreciate all the help you guys offer me, as it helps to make this story much better, because my editing skills are far from perfect, so thanks again, paycheckgurl, and to all my faithful readers. I hope you enjoy this.

Part II: The Nullification

Chapter 6

The portal created by Dr. Voodoo disappeared the moment that Spider-Man found that he was in Mephisto's realm, and he stepped on the warm, misbegotten sand that surrounded him for what looked like miles. The sky was a crimson stain that was filled with the presence of winged abominations that would have sent chills down his spine had he not seen more terrifying things in his life. A feeling of dread tried to enter his body, but he fought it off, knowing that the instant that Mephisto thought he had a hold over him, then he would lose any advantage he had against the demon.

"Huh, now I know where I'm not going to ask for a timeshare this year," Spider-Man said as he tried to decide which way he would go to start his journey. "Let's see…eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a Red Hulk candidate by the toe, who he is no one knows, so just give up on guessing whom it could be and go with the direction the finger shows."

His finger pointing west, Spider-Man nodded and headed off in that direction, while he glimpsed the shadows of unearthly figures moving to intercept him, but the moment that they did, the creatures fled from him, almost as if he had something that prevented them from being able to attack him.

_That would be Strange's mystical doodads_, Spider-Man thought. _Looks like he wasn't lying when he said that they'd help protect me against Mephisto's magic, and I guess that means he isn't able to use his lesser demons to attack me. Hopefully he doesn't have any Mindless Ones tucked away anywhere, because I really am not looking forward to that happening at all._

If felt odd not to be swinging in the air thanks to his wonderfully-made web-lines, but the barren wasteland in front of him didn't provide many opportunities for him to use his webbing and Spider-Man figured that the less he used the more likely he'd have enough when the time came to fight whomever or whatever Mephisto sent after him. Still, Spider-Man was at a loss at his inability to do things the way he liked to, but he figured that it was a small price to pay for the transgressions he had set into place with Mary Jane.

_Focus on her, Spidey, _he reminded himself. _She's what matters here. Getting her to safety and doing whatever it takes to make sure whatever Mephisto has planned for the universe never comes to pass and then doing what I can to fix all of the mistakes we made._

Another wave of smaller demons tried to encircle him, but the moment the first one—a very distinctly humanoid demon with three eyes—swooped down, a purplish-pink barrier came over Spider-Man and blocked the lesser demon's assault, incinerating it completely. The other demons, seeing the charred remains of their comrade, gave out a collective hissing noise and left him alone. For the first time since his arrival in Mephisto's realm—of which, no one had ever told him the actual name of—Spider-Man felt relatively safe. Knowing that this was likely some ruse on Mephisto's part, he readied himself to be prepared for any strike the demon lord sent his way, but when no such thing occurred, he relaxed himself and frowned.

"This is way too easy," he noted out loud. "Nothing ever goes this easy for me. There's something really bad about to happen to me, isn't there?"

Suddenly, Spider-Man felt his spider-sense tingling and he propelled himself up into the air by springing from the ground, moving just fast enough to avoid the swipe of a black arm that came from underneath the sand. Somersaulting in midair, Spider-Man spied a crystalline tree near him and decided to land on one of its branches, but—when his spider-sense failed to alert him in time—he found out that the branches were made of talc, the softest mineral known to humankind, and fell when it collapsed under his weight. Bumping into the sand, Spider-Man's mask was momentarily pushed upward by his collision and sand entered his mouth. Filled with the foul-tasting substance, he spit it out and pushed himself backwards to stand up when his spider-sense warned him of yet another attempt on his life. Pulling his mask back down, Spider-Man looked up, and saw the massive ebonized figure of Blackheart right in front of him.

_The word "Gulp" comes to mind right about now, _he mused to himself.

Spider-Man stared up at the towering Darkforce-created being called Blackheart and did his best not to panic. Years ago, Daredevil and he had fought against Blackheart right after he had been created by Mephisto for purposes he barely understood now. Back then, the two had fought their best against Blackheart, but the truth was that they had been lucky enough to have drawn a large crowd to watch them fight the demon, which had somehow weakened him and forced him to flee for his home dimension. What Spider-Man expected to do against Blackheart now in his father's realm was beyond him, but all he knew was that he had to win, and he would never give up the fight.

"Alright, here's the story, chuckles," Spider-Man said, pointing his middle finger over at Blackheart. "I'm here to rescue my wife, restore reality to its proper place, and then go back to where I'm supposed to be to suffer whatever consequences that come from what I do here, and I am never going to stop until I get all that done, so if you want to fight, it's only sporting that I tell you that you've caught me on a very bad day. But if you're still stupid enough to come over here and attack me, then go ahead, make my day."

Blackheart looked at Spider-Man for a moment as he examined his foe, decided that he amused him, and then laughed as he threw his body back and held his sides. "You speak mighty words, little one," he said, still laughing. "Now you must back them up."

Spider-Man frowned underneath his mask. _Dang it, _he thought, as he leapt into the air to avoid a wave of black energy that emerged from Blackheart's hands.

Checking all of his surroundings, Spider-Man found that all of the higher rocks and trees that he had seen earlier were gone, and he knew why immediately: Mephisto was trying to take away every advantage he would have against Blackheart if Spider-Man was able to fight in a way that suited his abilities. However, with the lack of a smaller space with many things that he could use to jump onto and around, he was at a serious disadvantage, or so he would let them all think about him. Everyone underestimated him—save for well-prepared geniuses like Doctor Octopus and Norman Osborn—and no matter how many times he fought against them, they all seemed to think that he had a very limited range of attacks. True, he was better suited for the area of an urban fight, as there were many buildings he could use to web-sling and latch onto, but he had fought in too many diverse situations to not be experienced enough to fight wherever he had to, and a demon's dimension would be no different.

Blackheart attempted to slap Spider-Man as he was suspended in the air in mid-jump, but the moment that Spider-Man became aware of that, he sent two lines of web fluid onto the hand Blackheart was sending his way, and tugged down, allowing him to miss the blow and swing up to the demon's face, where Spider-Man had a vague thought of one of the times that he had spent with Mary Jane in his mind, one that made him feel good enough to send a well-placed kick at Blackheart in his left eye. Using momentum he had gained from the attack, Spider-Man pushed into the eye and flipped backward, as he sent two lines of web fluid into Blackheart's right eye, effectively blinding him for a short period of time. Blackheart howled as the pain filled his left eye, and howled louder when his right eye was also attacked. Yelling obscenities Spider-Man was sure would mean something important to people who actually understood magic, Blackheart rampaged through the desert wasteland, trying to find Spider-Man by using his hands alone.

_And this is the moment where I wish that I was given super-ventriloquism as a power to mess with Blackheart's attacks, just for comedy's sake, _Spider-Man thought. _Then again, that sounds like a very stupid power to even have, doesn't it? Man, I would hate to be the guy stuck with the knowledge that I ever had a ridiculous superpower like that._

Noticing Blackheart's rampage was all but mindless in its approach, Spider-Man decided to trip him up further by lassoing Blackheart's right leg with a web-line. Pulling on the web-line tightly, Spider-Man used it to push himself forward—barely missing Blackheart's attempt to pin him in the process of swinging to him—and wrapped the webbing tighter around the demon, but, since he knew it would not be strong enough, Spider-Man repeated the process four more times, just as Blackheart ripped off the webbing that had blinded his right eye. Looking down, he saw Spider-Man several yards ahead of him and roared.

"Come on and get me, ugly!" Spider-Man ordered. "I've had a harder time fighting the Big Wheel than I have with you!"

"Why you insolent insect!" Blackheart screamed.

Stepping forward, Blackheart realized too late that Spider-Man hadn't been sitting idly by while he had tried to tear the webbing from his eyes, and that the web-lines that surrounded his legs would cause him to fall flat on his face. When the demon hit the sandy ground, it sent many shockwaves that disintegrated smaller demons from their sheer power.

Spider-Man created a defensive barrier with some very careful geometric spinning of his webs, and found that the talismans that Strange had given him were also protecting him from the shockwaves. Sending silent thanks to the former Sorcerer Supreme, Spider-Man shouted out, "And it's arachnid! Not insect!"

Content in his always spectacular heckling, Spider-Man began to wonder if maybe he had succeeded in forcing Blackheart to knock himself out as he had planned, but the moment that he did so, he found a very enraged ebony demon looking back at him.

"I have had it with you, mortal!" Blackheart yelled. "I hate my father as much as you do, but I am compelled to defend him because of his strength, so I will do as I have been told! I am going to kill you, worm!"

Before Spider-Man could react, Blackheart began to gather energy from his surroundings, and, contrary to what Spider-Man was used to, started to lose his stature, ending up with him just standing at around six and a half feet tall. A crimson glow emitted from Blackheart's eyes, and Spider-Man realized that he had made a very stupid mistake. Normally his heckling was used to cause his enemies to make mistakes and cause them to take themselves out, like he had just done to Blackheart, but this time, he had failed to account for the fact that he was dealing with a being that did not conform to what he was used to fighting.

A dark wave of pure demonic energy approached Spider-Man, who barely managed to dodge it in time, as the wave hit the area behind him, and totally destroyed it.

_Methinks I've made a mistake, _he thought, fleeing another blast by ducking this time. _Okay, Spidey, what do you do now? You've succeeded in pissing him off, but that's not what you were trying to do, so nice job breaking it, hero. _

Realizing the energy waves always seemed to be space at intervals of three seconds apart from each other, Spider-Man decided to use that to his advantage, as he dodged and ducked them as he saw fit, using the brief respites in-between to get closer to Blackheart, who seemed to be in a state of pure rage directed only at him.

"Not many can say that they have seen me in my true form, Spider-Man!" Blackheart shouted, as he kept up his attacks. "But then again none have made me as volatile as you have so foolishly done!"

"Why don't we try this again, Blackheart?" Spider-Man asked, leaping into the air to avoid another blast once Blackheart had noticed the system that he had been using to dodge his attacks. "You don't like Mephisto either, so why not let me go and I can get rid of him for you?"

Not being serious in the least about his proposal, Spider-Man hoped that he could reach the part of Blackheart that he knew hated Mephisto enough to fight against whatever he had used to control Blackheart.

"Don't you think I want to let you do this?" Blackheart asked, still pressing his foe with his limitless energy assaults. "But I cannot! He forces me to act on his behalf! The only way that you can win is to defeat me!"

_Easier said than done, _Spider-Man thought, as he finally managed to reach Blackheart.

Sending a volley of impact webbing toward Blackheart's stomach, Spider-Man used the brief respite to jump into the air and continue his assault. However, he failed to notice that his attacks had failed to do any damage to his foe, and that his spider-sense had tried to warn him that Blackheart had teleported into the air behind him. Turning around, Spider-Man watched as Blackheart beat him into the ground with his fists. Unprepared for the blow, Spider-Man began to cough, but it was interrupted by another blow to his face, one that sent him flying into a lone rock formation that had sprung up out of nowhere.

Before Blackheart could renew his assaults, Spider-Man used what little time he had to spin to another destination, causing Blackheart to miss him completely and to run into the same rock formation that had given him so much grief a second ago. Feeling a small flow of blood trickle down from his forehead, Spider-Man wiped it away and prayed that his healing factor would do its job as soon as possible.

_I can't lose, _Spider-Man thought. _I just can't. I can't disappoint them. I have to fight and win for everyone I love!_

Balling his hands into fists, Spider-Man gathered his strength and smacked Blackheart into the ground, as he noticed a white light emanate from Blackheart's skin as he did so. Finding it strange, he still ignored it and struck Blackheart once more, but the power behind his punch seemed to be losing whatever had made it so powerful the first time, and the demon was able to send a blow that caused Spider-Man to fall on the ground once more.

_Okay, this isn't going to be as easy as it was earlier, _Spider-Man thought. _Now what?_

_What does Blackheart fear the most?_ a woman's voice asked, causing Spider-Man to lose focus of what he was doing and accidentally spray Blackheart down with a line of webbing.

Jumping up and wondering if he'd actually heard the voice, Spider-Man looked toward where he thought it had originated from, and found a small girl with red hair looking back at him, the same one he had seen in the images Strange and Dr. Voodoo had shown him: The girl that they had claimed was the daughter that would have been born had he and Mary Jane stayed married in the true path his life should have taken. She was standing in midair, looking extremely transparent, yet so beautiful to the eyes. He didn't know how she'd gotten there, but he didn't care, as obviously she had found some way to be near him to aid him when he needed her the most.

"Okay, I'll bite, sweetheart, what does he fear the most?" Spider-Man asked, figuring that talking to the ethereal form of his supposed daughter from the future wasn't one of the strangest things that he had done in his life.

_What forced him to leave when you fought him with Matt Murdock? _she asked.

Spider-Man noticed Blackheart struggling to get out of the bonds and decided to hurry up and figure out whatever she wanted him to and said, "The people there. Something about them caused him to hightail it out of there. What could that have been? Why would he want to leave when they showed up? It doesn't make sense."

_What were the people doing for you during the fight? the little girl asked. _

"Cheering us on, of course," Spider-Man said, leaping out of the way when Blackheart finally freed himself from the webbing and renewed his offensive. "Hey, chuckles, why don't you like people cheering other people on like that?"

Blackheart snarled and grew sharp talons on his hands, which he tried to use to slice at Spider-Man but missed him at the last second. "Who are you talking to, worm?" he asked. "Why are you asking these questions? They will do you no good. I will fill you with darkness and true despair!"

_Wait a second, _Spider-Man thought. _Despair, why does that sound like it could lead me to an answer here? Oh, I know! D'Spayre! That evil, uh, guy I fought with Man-Thing! He was able to use people's despair to empower himself! What if the people cheering DD and me on back in that fight were doing something similar to Blackheart, except it had a negative affect on him?_

"I've got it!" Spider-Man shouted, but then realized Blackheart could hear him as well and switched to thinking.

_It's positive thoughts, isn't it? If I use them against Blackheart, then I have a better way to fight him! When I had that random thought about MJ, my attack hurt him more, because even someone like Blackheart should have been able to recover a whole lot faster from a little thing like getting his eyes glued shut! And that one punch, the one with the white energy, it was from the pep talk I'd just given myself!_

_You are correct, Father, _the redheaded girl said. _Attack now with my blessing. Stay safe._

_You don't have to tell me twice, sweetheart. I promise you that nothing is going to happen to your mother or me and that we'll never do anything to endanger you again._

Spider-Man attached himself to a low-lying tree—this time made of stronger materials than the first one—and launched himself at Blackheart, fueling his attack with the memories that he had lost because of the deal and those that had happened before it. He saw his wedding day with MJ, the immense pride that Aunt May had felt at seeing her nephew stepping out of the shadow of Uncle Ben's death, the joy he had felt when Flash Thompson had finally decided to become his friend as the two began to heal the wounds made over time by poor decisions, and the times where his many friends had fought by his side to help him against whatever threats had come his way.

The first punch Spider-Man drilled into Blackheart's chest caused what bones the demon possessed there to snap, as he felt a tremendous wave of pain that he had never experienced in such a magnitude before. The second punch nailed Blackheart into a nearby forest of crystalline trees, each of which provided added pain when they helped to open wounds that Blackheart had sealed during the fight, as a means to make Spider-Man think that he had caused him no damage at all. The third punch came when Spider-Man recalled a day when he had yelled at Mary Jane to leave him alone following Gwen Stacy's death, yet had stayed with him to console him no matter what he told her to do otherwise. The fourth punch caused Spider-Man to flashback to when he had knocked a crazed Norman Osborn to the ground during the Siege of Asgard. The fifth punch connected to Blackheart's face and crushed his nose, while Spider-Man's mind raced with many images of pushing the fallen debris that had almost prevented him from bringing a much-needed cure to Aunt May off of him, and the joy he had felt at knowing that he had just saved her life.

"You can't do this to me!" Blackheart protested, as his skin seemed to steam from the white energies his punches delivered every time that he recalled his past. "Stop it!"

"No, I'll never stop!" Spider-Man proclaimed. "The moment that I learned that I had caused all of this, I made a vow to myself! I vowed to undo the mistakes I had made and take whatever consequences I had to undergo once I won! I'll never stop, Blackheart! Not until I've beaten your father into a pathetic shadow of his former self! I'm going to win!"

Grasping both of his hands into one strike, Spider-Man's fists collided once more with Blackheart's face, and the demon fell down to the ground, completely beaten. Spider-Man stood over Blackheart, who twitched once, but drifted into unconsciousness a moment later, letting him know that he had succeeded in defeating him.

Feeling weak for a moment, Spider-Man almost lost consciousness himself from the blood loss he'd suffered from Blackheart's attacks, but four blue orbs grabbed his arms and legs and picked him back up. Looking at them, he recognized one of the talismans Strange had left for him and chuckled, glad that at least one of them had thought ahead fast enough to provide him with something to rejuvenate him.

_If this keeps up, Strange, I will never accuse you of being a _deus ex machina _for the rest of my life, _Spider-Man thought as he smiled at his comment.

Waiting for the talisman to finish its job, Spider-Man became alerted to movement near his right, and looked up to see the little girl that claimed to be his daughter smiling at him.

_I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't stay much longer, _she said. _The longer I dwell here, the more likely I shall never exist, no matter what you do here. Know that I will be watching you from afar and cheering you on. You are my hero._

Spider-Man nodded and extended his hand to her, and she took it, still smiling at him. "Then that's all I need to hear to get up and keep going," he said, exiting the orbs controlled by the talisman.

Examining his body, Spider-Man realized that certain parts of it were still weak, but that his mind wasn't acknowledging that fact, almost like he was willing himself to ignore the pain in favor of continuing the journey. Gazing back in the direction his daughter had been in, he found that she had left and he nodded once more, knowing that he still had a long journey ahead of him if he ever wished to make her a reality.

A/N: Chapter 7 will show Spider-Man as he faces off against some more obstacles Mephisto has seen fit to place in his way. Along the way he finds a group organized by his allies to help him out, including a villain with a past grudge against Mephisto and a superhero that was mysteriously absent when Spider-Man was looking for people to heal his aunt. This should be written, at the latest, by Thursday, so hopefully you can look forward to that. See you next time.


	7. Chapter 7

Spider-Man trekked through the wastelands of Mephisto's realm, relying on his spider-sense to warn him of approaching trouble, as his body was beginning to show the early signs of fatigue. Although Strange's talismans had been able to heal him following his solo battle with Blackheart, they had not found a way to rid him of the pains caused by the many blows that he had received during the brawl. Normally he would be able to shrug off the pain in favor of his continued journey, but the energies he felt in Mephisto's realm seemed to be sapping what little strength he had left. Figuring this meant that the talismans were losing their effectiveness, he had made a pledge with himself to not depend on them for help anymore.

He didn't know how long he had traveled through the deserted sandy plains that were all around him, but he did know that it felt like he'd been on his journey for hours on end. Spider-Man wished that he could have some way of contacting Strange or Dr. Voodoo in order to learn if they had had any success in getting him the help he needed, but another part of him began to shut down his hopes.

_Why would anyone want to help you out, idiot? _the other voice asked. _The moment that they find out what you did no one will ever associate with you again. You'll be a pariah for the rest of your life, and do you know what? You'll deserved every minute of it. You're pathetic. What kind of hero are you? You're useless._

_No I'm not, _Spider-Man retorted. _No matter what I've done, my friends will always be there for me. Leave me alone._

_You are a fool, Peter, and a worthless one at that. I—_

"_SHUT UP!_" Spider-Man demanded, holding both sides of his head and shaking himself to get rid of the horrible voice that was in his mind.

After a moment of dealing with his inner turmoil, Spider-Man waited patiently for the voice to come back to plague him, but to his pleasant surprise, it didn't show up. Content that it was gone for now, Spider-Man continued on his path to find Mary Jane.

_I can't do this to myself right now, _he thought. _That's not my voice talking to me. It has to be Mephisto trying to break me down before I can reach him. He knows how much I hate myself for what I've done, and he wants to use that against me. Well guess what, chuckles, I won't give you the satisfaction of doing that! I'm in control of my mind from here on out!_

Smiling, Spider-Man walked forward one step, but the instant he did so his spider-sense flared in his mind and he rolled to the ground, barely avoiding the red tongue of a Dire Wraith that had somehow hidden itself in the middle of an open desert. Picking himself back up, Spider-Man saw six Dire Wraiths staring right back at him, but his spider-sense alerted him once more to coming danger, and he dodged a black bolt of mystical energy that came from behind him. Content that he was safe for that moment, he turned around to see several more Dire Wraiths, realizing the instant that he saw them that they had to be of the female side of the species, as they were well-versed in the mystic arts.

Deciding that he didn't like the fact that they surrounded him on two sides, Spider-Man leapt into the air behind the male Dire Wraiths, barely avoiding their barbed tongues as they tried to snipe him from the ground. Landing a good distance away from them, Spider-Man analyzed his situation, using what little knowledge he had on Dire Wraiths to form a plan. Although many heroes had confronted the Dire Wraiths during their initial invasion, he had done very little to fight them himself, and barely remembered the strategies they had been taught to fight against the powerful shapeshifters. From what he did recall, they were some kind of genetic offshoot of the Skrulls, and that their shapeshifting was good enough to fool even the greatest of heroes, as even people with expert tracking and detecting abilities could be fooled by him. The only system that had been foolproof against their disguises had been the machines owned by the Spaceknight known as Rom, who Spider-Man had barely met or conversed with in the small time that the man had traveled to Earth to defend it from the Dire Wraiths. One of them, the Neutralizer, had been able to send the Dire Wraiths to Limbo, rather than killing them, as Rom felt that the aliens were undeserving of death, and should rot the rest of their lives in the lonely dimension. The males of the species were more scientific in nature, while the females relied more on magic to get what they wanted, which had caused the now defunct SHIELD organization much grief in the early days of the invasion. However, there was nothing Spider-Man had in his possession that could get rid of the Dire Wraiths as effectively as the Neutralizer, but he had better weapons to send their way, foremost among them his mind.

Before the closest male Dire Wraith could move forward, Spider-Man sent a web-line that hit the male in its eyes, and then tugged him toward his body, and spun the Dire Wraith in the air for two seconds. Feeling that he'd gained enough force, Spider-Man released the Dire Wraith, and caused him to knock out four of his comrades. Using the confusion he'd created to attack once more, Spider-Man leaped forward and slid into the sand, causing a cascade of the substance to blind the remaining male Dire Wraith, while sending a knockout punch to his face in the next second.

Dusting himself off, Spider-Man was alerted to danger by his always trusty spider-sense, and dodged a gigantic birdlike figure composed entirely of a black void. Realizing that this was what had been called a deathwing, or a creature that had originated from the realm where the Dire Wraiths had come from that they had domesticated many years prior to their invasion. The massive coal-colored bird made a shrieking noise that almost caused Spider-Man to shiver, but he kept his mind focused and dodged it as it tried to kill him again.

_Wait a second, I remember something about these creatures that should be really kind of important here in this fight, _he thought as he avoided another strike. _This thing must be under the control of those witches over there. I may have taken care of the males, but the females are a lot tougher than them. (Hurray for feminism.) Come on, Spidey, it's time to win this fight quickly._

Looking for the proper angle, Spider-Man sent a line of web fluid into the lower feathers of the deathwing, and used it to propel himself over to the female Dire Wraiths, who, realizing what he was trying to do, tried to slow his progress by filling the skies with bolts of aggressive magical energy, failing to hit him each time. Readying his attack, Spider-Man swung down from his web-line and kicked the first female Dire Wraith he met on her head, knocking her out, while the others attempted to kill him with their tongues, ending up with all four of the witches having their tongues tied to each other's. Laughing at the inanity of it all, Spider-Man latched onto the middle of the tongue-tied Dire Wraiths with another web-line and hurled them into the air, both destroying their control over the deathwing—which disintegrated the moment they were brought into the air—and of their spells, as the combined bolts of energy all targeted them due to one of the witches losing sight of her target and sending them in the wrong direction. Watching the explosion from below, Spider-Man wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled underneath his mask.

_Okay, that was way too easy, _he thought. _Cue new threat in one, two—Now!_

Somersaulting in the air, Spider-Man felt as the impact of a telekinetic force upset his natural balance, causing him to fall to the sandy ground hard. Shaking his head, Spider-Man tried to get back up, but he felt the presence of a stronger mind invade his own, and soon he found that he was being levitated in midair, as a terrifying figure stared back at him, the hint of a psychotic smile on its face. The figure then grabbed him by his throat and choked him even further.

"Who are you?" Spider-Man asked the figure, gasping for breath.

"Who am I?" the figure asked, as it shapeshifted into the form of a towering red Dire Wraith. "I am Hybrid, and I am the one who shall deliver you to Mephisto, my master."

"Hybrid? Wait, I know about you. You're a Dire Wraith-human hybrid and you're also a mutant…but you lost your powers on M-Day! I saw it on the monitor while we were fighting the Collective!"

"Very astute, Spider-Man," Hybrid said, releasing some of the pressure on Spider-Man's throat. "I did indeed lose my powers on what you call M-Day, and it almost cost me my life…at least, it would have, had Mephisto not saved me sometime later."

"What did he do?"

Hybrid smiled. "Why he gave me my powers back, and so much more, Spider-Man. I can kill you in so many ways that you would hardly even begin to notice them. For instance, if I wish to shatter your femur, all I have to do is…"

Hybrid looked down at Spider-Man's right leg and sent a telekinetic wave at it, which sent his entire body into agony, as it began to feel the anguish of having a large bone rip itself apart and shatter inside of his body. Screaming his pain for Hybrid to begin laughing at, Spider-Man almost lost consciousness, but a small part of him forced himself to stay aware of what was going on around him.

"Why did you do that!" Spider-Man yelled. "What purpose could that serve?"

"You humans are pathetic creatures, don't you know that?" Hybrid asked. "Do I need to have a reason for hurting you like this? What if I just wanted to do it to you? So long as I bring you back to Mephisto relatively intact, I can do whatever I please with you. I owe him for the wondrous powers he returned to me, and that is why I brought my fellow Dire Wraiths into his thrall, although I hardly needed to. We empower him for some reason, and he has been using us for his purposes for years, so it was only natural for us to join him in his quest to become ruler of the entire multiverse."

"But…you're human too."

Hybrid flinched for a moment, and then grabbed Spider-Man by his ribs, and focused his mind on another part of Spider-Man's body, disintegrating both his spleen and liver in an instant. Crying out in a larger voice, Spider-Man panted when the pain managed to subside for a moment that misled him into thinking that the torture was over. Hybrid laughed at his new toy, and was about to detach Spider-Man's limbs when Spider-Man viewed the vague outline of a red beam graze Hybrid's arms, and what looked like an energy shield he was very familiar with hit the large Dire Wraith in the head, causing him to drop Spider-Man on the ground. Hybrid yelled out his agony, and Spider-Man tried to lift his head to get a sense of what had just happened, barely seeing the energy shield return to the outstretched arms of Steve Rogers, who was wearing the new costume that he'd decided to wear following Bucky Barnes gaining the right to wield the shield of Captain America. Steve smiled at Spider-Man, whose mask had fallen off of his face due to the way his head had impacted with the sand. Although he was in extensive pain, Spider-Man managed to smile back at Steve, while trying to crack a joke, but he failed to do so when he was forced to cough up a supply of blood that had gathered from the loss of his internal organs from his mouth. However, he was surprisingly feeling very joyful in his mind. Even though Steve didn't wear the standard uniform massively associated with Captain America anymore, in Spider-Man's mind, he would never stop being the symbol of America's true values, and every hero knew that the moment they had Captain America on their side, there was no way that they could ever lose the fight that they were in.

"Sorry, Hybrid," Steve said, still smiling, "but that's our friend you're torturing there and we don't appreciate that at all, do we, gentlemen?"

A collective "No" came from the mouths of several people Spider-Man was very familiar with, and some of whom surprised him. Looking up at Steve once more, he finally became aware of the fact that Steve was not alone. To Steve's right stood Rom, Spaceknight of Galador, and to Rom's side was Ghost Rider—who appeared to be Johnny Blaze so far as Spider-Man knew—and a young golden man wearing a costume that Spider-Man had seen many times before.

_The golden guy's got an X on his costume, so he has to be affiliated with the X-Men or one of the other teams they have, _Spider-Man thought._ It's not like they have fifty of them or anything remotely like that. Wolverine's on about forty of them last I heard. _

But when Spider-Man shifted his head to see who was on the left side of Steve, he found the armored form of Doctor Doom with his arms crossed. Coughing up more blood from the sight of one of his deadliest foes, Spider-Man barely registered the form of Hybrid as he stood up and yelled at the intruders.

"How dare you strike me from behind, idiots!" Hybrid thundered. "You shall pay dearly for what you have done!"

Gathering his energy, Hybrid sent a wave of mystic energy toward Doctor Doom, who remained still, at least until the energy reached him and, with a mere wave of his hand, he then dispelled it from existence.

"You dare to think that you shall kill Doom!" Doctor Doom yelled back. "Such insolence shall not be tolerated in Doom's presence!"

Pushing his arms forward, Doom sent a concussive blast from both his hands that struck Hybrid in the face, causing the leviathan to fall to the ground, right as Rom shot his right hand off by sending it to Limbo with the Neutralizer in his hand, and Ghost Rider advanced on him. Before Hybrid could react, he saw Ghost Rider standing in front of him and looked into his eyes, which proved to be the last thing he ever did.

"Stare into these eyes and begin the path to penance, brute!" Ghost Rider shouted out, as his penance stare activated and Hybrid began to scream in agony, as his many past transgressions filled his mind, and, an instant later, he shattered into many pieces, ending whatever threat he may have posed to them.

Spider-Man watched the entire scene unfold with wonder in his eyes, as he began to wonder if maybe he was experiencing a hallucination from the pain, but a moment later, he saw the golden man in the X-Men costume approach him and say, "Hello, Spider-Man. My name is Joshua Foley, but I go by Elixir now. Recently I lost my abilities due to a mistake on my part, but thanks to Strange, I was able to learn a way to get them back. Stay perfectly still and I can remove this pain from you immediately."

Nodding, Spider-Man froze, as Elixir began to hold onto Spider-Man's body and started to do something to him. Suddenly, Spider-Man felt a warm sensation run over his body, and he began to have another weird feeling, almost as if the damage he had just suffered had never been there to begin with. But something like that was impossible, and if anyone had ever had control over people's bodies like this, surely he would have found them when he had searched for a cure for Aunt May before the disastrous deal. But the impossibilities were rendered unimportant the moment Spider-Man felt his femur, spleen, and liver return to his body, and suddenly he felt all of the pain leave his body. The moment that Elixir let go of him, Spider-Man placed his mask back on his face and jumped up and tested out his body to see if there was anything wrong with it, but, to his astonishment, there wasn't even a trace of any damage to him, and he felt like he had when he had started his journey to Mephisto's realm.

"That was amazing, Elixir!" he shouted out when he quit jumping around in joy. "How did you do that?"

Elixir smiled. "I am an Omega-level mutant, Spider-Man," he said. "My power is the ability to control the biological structure of any being I come across."

"Thanks, for that. I feel brand new!"

"Which is good to hear, Peter," Steve said as he walked over to them and placed a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder. "You had us worried there for a moment."

Another warm feeling entered Spider-Man's body, and he basked in it as he smiled at Steve, his hero for many years. "I can't believe you actually came to help me, Steve. I was…was beginning to think that no one would, especially after what I'd done—"

Steve smiled. "Peter, I don't know what happened to force you to come here. I didn't ask Stephen when he came for my help."

Spider-Man stared at Steve for a moment, his jaw open, as he mentally thanked himself for deciding to keep his mask on, so that they wouldn't be able to see his goofy expression. "You mean that…you don't even know why I'm here? What I've done?"

Steve shook his head. "All I had to know was that you needed me, and so I came here to back you up. Whatever happened to start this is in the past, so we need to focus on making sure it never happens again."

"I, however, do know what you did, Spider-Man," Ghost Rider said, leaning on one of the crystalline trees near them. "However, I can relate to your need, so the moment that Strange approached me for my help in this matter, I couldn't say no."

"Thanks, Johnny. I really appreciate it."

Ghost Rider shrugged. "It's what you'd do for me. I'd appreciate it better if you could make sure you don't get in a situation like what we just saved you from again."

"Yeah, he took me completely by surprise. I took out the other Dire Wraiths, but he must have been hiding himself from me and he used that to his advantage."

"That is quite understandable," Rom said, choosing to stand near Spider-Man. "The Dire Wraiths are well-equipped in espionage. You are very fortunate to have only suffered as little as you did today."

_As little? _Spider-Man thought. _That was a little bit of suffering?_

He looked at Rom, who was no longer wearing the silver armor that he was used to and thanked him for his help by shaking his hand. "Nice shooting, Rom. But I'm confused…why did you come here to help me? I never got the impression that we knew each other well enough for something like this to happen."

Rom smiled. "When I gathered Earth's heroes to fight off the Dire Wraiths, I saw the way that you fought to protect those you loved. You have a true warrior's spirit, Spider-Man, and I shall always help those who realize what is most sacred in life."

"I have a warrior's spirit? That's news to me. I just thought I did it for the nonexistent endorsement deals. But thanks, though, especially with your help with Hybrid. It should make it harder for him to reform this time around now that he's been shattered by the penance stare and by your Neutralizer."

"Indeed. We are much safer with him gone."

Spider-Man nodded and realized that he was missing one member of the group that had come to save him, the one that he had most surprised to see there. Looking to his right, Spider-Man found the glaring form of Doctor Doom staring back at him. Spider-Man raised his hand the moment they exchanged glances.

Steve chuckled at the childish response and said, "Yes, Spider-Man. What would you like to know?"

"Uh, why is Doctor Doom here?" Spider-Man asked, still looking at the supreme ruler of Latveria.

Doctor Doom, not amused at the question, said, "Doom is not here for you, if that is what you are asking."

"Oh, okay, little bit of a buzz kill there…so…why are you here again?"

"Because Doom has a score to settle with Mephisto. While you were looking for ways to cure your aunt in this alternate dimension, Doom was contacted by you for help, and yet Doom could not help you, even though Doom possesses many devices that could have healed her."

_Doom also has a problem with first-person pronouns, _Spider-Man thought, but kept it to himself, as pissing off Doctor Doom had always been on his list of things never to do.

"Doom was contacted by Stephen Strange and told of how Doom was being controlled by Mephisto into not offering you help, and Doom agreed to come to restore Doom's honor. You and your petty reasons for coming here after your failure are nothing to Doom."

"Well, whatever your reasons, I'm glad you're here to help out," Spider-Man said. "It seems like Mephisto was able to control not only you, but Strange as well into making sure I would end up doing what I did."

"Don't forget Cyclops," Elixir said. "If you had been able to find me, I could have saved her. I once was able to restore someone's heart when it was ripped, so healing a simple gunshot wound would have been relatively easy for me to do."

Turning to him, Spider-Man nodded. "I'm guessing that Mephisto must have found some way to cloud Scott's thoughts and force him to temporarily forget about you, Elixir."

"Which is all irrelevant now," Ghost Rider said. "We have work to do."

"Precisely," Steve said, turning on his energy shield. "We have a demon lord to depose."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Wow, what a hectic week I'm about to go through for finals. I'm amazed I was able to keep my promise to write this by Tuesday. Please let me know if there is anything that needs to be fixed. Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 8

Mary Jane Watson woke up as she felt her body being dragged across the jagged sandy ground of wherever her captors had taken her. Her knees had started to bleed from the constant movement and abrasive sand, causing her to wince inwardly as she opened her eyes to figure out where she was. What she found was a large corridor filled with brilliant red lights that forced her to shut her eyes for fear of being blinded by their complex texture.

_What happened to me? _she asked herself as she tried to keep up her attempt to regain her consciousness. _Where am I? Who's pulling me like this right now?_

Looking up, Mary Jane found an almost ethereal demonic abomination holding her hands as he took her forward in the corridor they were in. Stifling a gasp, Mary Jane slowly turned her head to her right to find an avian demon with a large beak holding her by her feet right behind her. Trying not to panic, Mary Jane forced herself to remember what had happened to her and why she was in the place she happened to be in now. Vague memories of a battle with a demon entered her mind, as well as the brave sacrifice of two heroes in New York as they tried to save her despite her very vehement protests to leave her behind. She also recalled Peter being there and something about his hand, which she later remembered had tried to reach out to her own hand, but had failed due to some reason she couldn't recall. Deciding it would be best to make sure that her captors did not know she was awake.

"Looks like N'astirh got beat," the ethereal demon said to his companion, still unaware that the woman that he was holding had awakened.

The avian demon squawked, which Mary Jane assumed was a laugh. "I knew that he was going to lose," he said. "N'astirh was always pathetic compared to the master."

"Ha, you didn't say that when N'astirh was commanding us, Phobia. One thinks that you were scared of him, so much that you would never say it in his presence."

"That was uncalled for, Basilisk," Phobia said. "I didn't see you talking up to him either. Oh wait, you can't, because you can barely keep yourself stable now, because you were defeated when Satana sacrificed herself to get rid of you, even though Satana was able to come back with little consequence, and you are in such a pathetic state."

Basilisk stopped walking and dropped Mary Jane's hands, causing her to fall onto the ground, and forcing her to once more make sure she didn't make any noises that would give away her consciousness. Phobia, noting Basilisk's move, released Mary Jane's feet as well, leaving her on the floor as the two faced off against each other. Not knowing any of them, Mary Jane decided to wait out and see what they would do, wishing that they would fight each other so that she could escape in the confusion.

Basilisk and Phobia stared down one another, with the latter showing signs of not being able to put up much of a fight. Phobia, being the weaker demon, knew that even though Basilisk had been so damaged due to his past exploits with Satana, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man, he could still fight Phobia on even terms. Before Phobia could react, Basilisk bore down on him in a rage that caused him to fall down on the ground in pain the moment that Basilisk's powers began to usher forth from him. Pleading for mercy, Phobia used the minor distraction to gather one of his scalpels and stab Basilisk in a section of his body that constantly remained corporal, causing the other demon to cry out in pain.

Mary Jane, seeing that the two had forgotten about her for a moment, examined the area around her and found a weapons rack that held a plethora of oddly shaped swords and other sharp devices on it. Glancing over to the fighting demons to find that they were still too worried about their brawl to care about her, Mary Jane rolled over to the weapons rack just as Basilisk skewered Phobia through the demon's heart with his own scalpel. Trying to keep her calm, Mary Jane grabbed the nearest sword she could find and brought it in front of herself to prepare any defensive posture that she might need to make sure her remaining captor couldn't take her away again, but, to her surprise, she found him standing over the corpse of Phobia and consuming the latter's body for some form of demon sustenance, something that almost caused her to gag, but she forced herself to stay composed, just in case Basilisk was using the feeding as a means to catch her off guard.

Mary Jane, while well-versed in various forms of martial arts and self-defense, knew that she had almost no knowledge of wielding a sword to defend herself. Peter had told Mary Jane about the times that she had been possessed by a woman from the far past called Red Sonja, who had been a famous warrior in that age, in order to fight a resurrected Kulan Gath, a very famous sorcerer who had several times before reshaped the world in his image. However, she recalled very little from those possessions, and still didn't know how to properly use a sword, but she knew that she had better learn how to use it quickly if she wanted to get out of wherever she was alive and in one piece.

Basilisk, however, had noticed that she was awake, and had turned around to look at her, a devious grin on his face. "So you were awake, woman," he said, as he wiped away the demonic fluids that had come from Phobia to the side of his face. "Very well, I shall have to make sure that you do not manage to do so ever again. Mephisto has need of you, and I shall repay him for what he has done for me."

Figuring that demons loved to monologue as much as the supervillains she was used to fighting against, Mary Jane decided to use that to her advantage and asked, "And what did he do for you that makes you want to work for him?"

"Years ago I lost my corporeal form due to that wretch Satana, and, surprisingly enough, your former husband, Spider-Man. I wandered for many years following that in a state worse than any those of my kind have been forced to endure, but then I met Mephisto, who offered to give me back my true form, on the condition that I serve him until he decided that my debt was paid. I was planning on betraying him the moment I regained my true self, but that has changed now thanks to you and what you have done to empower him."

"And what was that?"

"Surely you jest, woman. You must know why this is happening. You must know why the universe has been scarred because of the decisions you have made."

"Nope, but I can tell you how you got the scars on your face."

"What are y—?"

Basilisk was cut off the moment Mary Jane flung the sword in her hands at his face, which hit the demon in the center of his head, causing him to cry out in pain as he tried to pry the sword from his face. Deciding not to press her luck, Mary Jane fled from the room they were in and ran out into another corridor, hoping that she could find someplace where she could locate a way to go back home.

She still didn't know why she had been taken away to Mephisto's realm, or why he had taken such an interest in her or Peter, as he had never done so before to her knowledge. There must be some reason for his sudden interest in them, but what that could be she didn't know or even care about then, as she was focused on getting back to Peter and asking him about what was going on. Surely he knew, as he had been looking for her right before the demons had invaded the streets of New York, and that must have meant that he had sought some form of guidance from someone like the former Dr. Strange, who had tutored the two many times on the different forms of magic that had entered their lives over the years.

_Hold on, Peter, I'm coming, _Mary Jane thought. _I'm coming back to you._

Ducking into another corridor, Mary Jane viewed a massive purple vortex in the center of the room adjacent to her. Near it was a small demon who was watching the dimensional vortex open up as a tiny contingent of demons exited from it.

"The last Earth scouting party has returned," the small demon said, scribbling it down on some form of paper Mary Jane wasn't familiar with at all.

_Did he say Earth? _Mary Jane asked herself. _Then that must mean that the portal over there goes back home. I've got to get in there and go back home. I've got a good feeling about this one. _

Running out before anyone could stop her, Mary Jane jumped over the small demon and leaped into the portal, seeing a vision of the New York streets as she did so, but the moment that she broke through the vortex, the streets vanished, and she found herself in another portion of Mephisto's realm. Before she could react, sharp ropes appeared out of the ground and snared her into them, trapping her instantly. Trying to get out of them, Mary Jane winced in pain when she brushed against the ropes, which all had prickly barbs all over them.

Laughter alerted her to the presence of someone else in the room and Mary Jane looked up from the trap that she had so foolishly decided to enter and found Mephisto staring back at her, a cackle leaving his lips. "I was wondering when you would get here," he said, continuing to laugh at her misfortune. "Honestly, I expected you here much earlier than this. You are weaker than I thought."

"Shut up!" Mary Jane shouted out, glaring at him. "What am I doing here and what does this have to do with Peter?"

Mephisto smiled and sat down in the massive throne that was right in front of Mary Jane. "This has everything to do with Peter…and everything to do with you as well, Mary Jane. You are the reason this has all happened, though. Can't you remember it?"

"I'm the reason this happened? How? I don't remember ever being around you at all! Let me go and leave Peter and me alone!"

"Oh, I'm afraid that I can't do that. You see, I depend on you two for all the sustenance that you have given me."

"What sustenance? What have we done to give you anything you two-bit despot?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear," Mephisto said, still smiling. "I supposed that it is my fault that you don't recall you part in giving me so much power, so I'll explain it to you, but you might not like what I have to say."

Mary Jane stayed silent, and watched Mephisto with defiance in her eyes.

"Very well," Mephisto continued, ignoring her silence, "let me tell you of a story of true cowardice, one which stars your husband, you, and a special appearance by a woman who lives only because I have willed it so. You see, my dear, you were once married with Peter Parker, and you shared his secret with his Aunt May, who stayed beside him even when he revealed his true identity to the world in a very foolish move on his part. Aunt May was shot by an assassin who worked for the Kingpin, and she was as good as dead. Yet, for some reason, no one was able to help your family save her life, even though men such as Reed Richards, T'Challa, and Victor von Doom could do it without batting an eye normally. Why was this, you ask? Why, it was all because of me. I felt that my special touch was needed to heal this delicate issue, and that these men were beneath your services."

Mary Jane shifted her body to try once more to find a way out of her bonds, but they still held on tightly to her and wounds opened on her body once the barbs touched her skin.

"I wanted to help you, as is my duty, don't you think?" Mephisto asked. "I am known all over the world as a miracle worker. Just ask Crash Simpson…well, if he weren't already dead that is." Mephisto laughed. "So, I came to you, offering you salvation, but only if you gave me something else in return: Your marriage."

"That's not true!" Mary Jane shouted. "We were never married! We were engaged, but then it didn't work out, so Peter and I decided not to follow through with it! You're lying!"

"No, I am not, my dear Mary Jane. I am very much telling the truth, which fascinates me in its irony. You see, it is you who is living the lie, Mary Jane. You and Peter, who both really should have known better."

"But why? Why would we ever give you our marriage, if we ever were married? Peter and I would never do that, not even to save Aunt May's life!"

"Well, in a way you are right, but also wrong. I helped you on your decision-making and that means I manipulated you into doing it…however, you must admit that you two would have also considered doing it, even without my manipulation."

Mary Jane closed her mouth, as she tried to not let the demon lord's words get to her, but a small part of her knew that he spoke at least a small form of the truth. "That's irrelevant! That doesn't change the fact that you made us do it! Surely whatever you hoped to gain from stealing our marriage from us was considered null thanks to your manipulations."

Mephisto grinned, as he revealed his massive teeth. "No, that is where you would still be wrong, my dead," he said. "Isn't it funny how the universe works? How someone like God can let things like this happen to good people like you? Surely if He truly loved you, then He would make sure I couldn't operate like this, yet He remains silent. One wonders if He even exists at all, or if maybe he no longer cares about His creations.

"I like to think the latter, as it is what helped give me my powers now. My dear Mary Jane, I am so magnificently powered, so much that I can invade other realms with little to no resistance against my will. I have allied with beings beyond your imagination from a realm that defies description, all as a part of my plan to take over the multiverse. However, I could not have done this without your help. You see, I had to be given something so pure, so antithetical to me, that someone would have to give it freely. Your marriage seemed to fit the description and it also had the added bonus of getting rid of your future daughter, who I am loathe to admit would later come to defeat me as she matured as a mystic hero. But that isn't where it ends, is it, my dear? You are so important to me. I owe everything I have to you."

"What are you talking about?" Mary Jane asked, tensing up. "What did I do?"

Mephisto smiled once more. "You gave me this—all of it, my dear. You were the one to make the deal with me. You gave me all this power. This is all your fault, and I shall use this power to kill your husband, enslave you, and then ravish the multiverse so that it will know that I am their new lord and master."

Mary Jane froze. "You're lying. That isn't true. It can't be!"

"Oh, but you know it to be true, my dear. Search your feelings."

Trembling, Mary Jane found herself reliving the moment that had given Mephisto all of his power once he placed a hand on her head. Screaming out in terror, Mary Jane grew tired from the strain, and fell into unconsciousness once more, leaving a satisfied Mephisto watching her and smiling at his plan working so perfectly in his favor.

A/N: Chapter 9 will follow Spider-Man and those he met in Chapter 7 as they invade Mephisto's palace, and meet up with a group that Mephisto has allied with. It might be, at the very least, started on by this Friday. I've got some essays to write by Friday and a test on Thursday, and 9 looks like it'll be very long, so at the latest it will be done by Sunday night. Until next time.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Looks like I had plenty of time to write this today. Those exams and essays were a breeze, so I'm in a pretty good mood right now. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or correct here. Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 9

Spider-Man followed the group assembled by the former Dr. Strange into the fields near the palace where Mephisto dwelled in his realm. Following his speedy recovery thanks to the help of Elixir's mutant abilities, he felt much better than he had in a very long time. His limbs were relaxed and his mind focused on getting the woman that had been stolen away from him due to the painful manipulations of Mephisto.

Surprisingly, they had met no resistance following the battle with Hybrid, and had been entirely unmolested in their approach of the palace. Spider-Man guessed that it was because—out of the demons assembled there to fight them—they would be too much of a match for most of the demons under Mephisto's thrall, and that they were scared of losing to them and then sent to report their failure to their lord.

It amazed Spider-Man how quickly everyone—save for Doom—had allowed Steve to take control of the mission, but—from prior experience—he knew exactly why they acted this way: Steve Rogers commanded respect and loyalty, and no one would ever deny that he had a history as being the leader of almost every hero known to humankind. It felt better to know that Steve was in charge and that no one had sought to place him in charge of it, as he felt like he could never measure up to the Sentinel of Liberty.

"I need to ask a question before we proceed," Steve said, causing them to halt with a wave of his hand, although Doctor Doom seemed to do it begrudgingly.

"What's up, Cap?" Spider-Man said, mentally slapping himself for not calling Steve by his name.

Steve, however, smiled, and said, "We were all given a brief lesson on what we could encounter here in Mephisto's realm. Among those were the alternate versions of ourselves that dwelled in what is known as the Fault. What do you know of them, Spider-Man?"

"Yeah, I remember Strange mentioning those people earlier."

"Then you would do well to know that you are powerless next to them," Doom said, his arms crossed and a stern look cast by the one part of his armored mask that allowed his facial expressions to be known. "Doom has researched these beings much and found them to be quite formidable. They are strong enough to fight beings like Adam Warlock and not back down easily. You are nothing to them."

"Hey, what's with the negativity here?" Elixir asked. "Come on, they can't be that bad."

Rom spoke up with a frown on his face, "Unfortunately, Doom speaks the truth, Elixir. I have not had the displeasure to fight these beings, but they make the Dire Wraiths almost pitiable by comparison, or so I was told by my contacts in the Shi'ar and Kree Empires."

"Well that's cheerful," Spider-Man noted.

"Nova told me that some of them were killed in action thanks to the actions of members of the Imperial Guard and people affiliated with the Guardians of the Galaxy," Steve said. "But these alternate copies that were thought to be dead were somehow resurrected, supposedly by the Many-Angled Ones that they worship, or perhaps Mephisto, due to his increase in power."

"When did you have the chance to talk to Nova?" Spider-Man asked, knowing that Nova had hardly been seen on Earth thanks to pressing ordeals in the galaxy at large.

Steve frowned for a moment, but was saved from answering when Ghost Rider placed a hand out in front of them and said, "He knows we're here. We need to be—What is that?"

Doom stepped in front of them before Ghost Rider could react and said a spell in several languages that Spider-Man had never heard before, blocking a vast beam of red that bounced off of the mystic shell that Doom had crafted to protect them. Looking up to find the source of the beam, Spider-Man found Mephisto, who was flanked on all sides by various demons.

"Your skills have been exaggerated too much, Mephisto!" Doom shouted with an added bravado in his voice. "You have made your final mistake by manipulating Doom! Had you left Doom unmolested once Doom had rescued Cynthia von Doom's spirit from you, Doom would have no quarrel with you! However, you have unleashed the full fury of Victor von Doom upon your impudence!"

"Methinks Doom is angry," Spider-Man said as an aside to Ghost Rider.

"No," Ghost Rider said, portraying fake shock. "I had no idea. Idiot."

Before Spider-Man could retort, Ghost Rider's motorcycle appeared from nothingness and the Spirit of Vengeance revved up his engine, ready to attack when Steve gave the signal to do so. Peering out over what would soon be a battlefield, Steve measured their effectiveness against the forces gathered against them, knowing that they were woefully undermanned, even though his allies were massively powered and competent in battle.

"This is it, my friends," Steve said, looking back to them. "Right now Mephisto is out there holding one of Spider-Man's loved ones in his control. There are six of us and hundreds of them facing us as we stand here today in enemy territory. The odds are against us, but since when have they ever favored those of us who value our lives and the lives around us so much that we willingly place ourselves in danger to keep those men and women safe from harm? This is where we stand against powers we may not succeed against, not knowing if help will arrive in time for us to get the job done on time, but that doesn't matter. All of us here are heroes, even if some of us won't admit it." Cap looked at Doom, who stared back at him as if he dared the man to insinuate further that he was a hero. "This is what we chose to do with our lives, no matter what happened that gave us our gifts and strengths! For this moment in time you can all consider yourselves Avengers, or, in other words, those brave souls who join forces and spit in the face of the darkness and tell it that it no longer controls our lives! We are going out there to fight for the souls of the people that Mephisto has swindled into despair and we are going to end his wretched reign once and for all!"

Holding his specially-made photonic energy shield in the air as it activated, Steve shouted out, "Avengers assemble!"

Ghost Rider left them first as he departed the hill they were on and collided head-on with a group of lesser demons that fell to his enchanted chain and hellfire. The next to move was Dr. Doom, who fired off a bolt of energy from his armor that vaporized a winged demon that dared to approach the true leader of Latveria. Rom assisted Ghost Rider as he fired off his Neutralizer and banned the demons in the path of the mighty weapon to Limbo for the rest of their lives, as Elixir and Steve tackled a Dagon-like demon that roared its fury at being defeated so easily as the heroes moved on to other targets.

Emboldened by the success of the others, Spider-Man decided to join the fray and sent a volley of impact webbing into a nearby group of crystalline demons that shattered the moment that they were touched by the harder web substance. Checking his utility belt to see how much he had in reserve, Spider-Man found that he had plenty of extra web-shooters that would be more than enough to last the fight they were in now.

Hopping over a collection of surprised demons, Spider-Man began his journey to the palace, figuring that the sooner he could find Mary Jane, the sooner they could find a way to escape and let the more experienced sorcerers combat Mephisto, but, in his heart, he knew that the plan would never work and that he would end up having to fight Mephisto. However, if he had his way in the matter, Spider-Man was going to make sure that Mary Jane didn't suffer for another minute. He had failed to save her when N'astirh had invaded Fifth Avenue, and barely missed her outstretched arm when she was being dragged away to Mephisto's realm. He would never let her go through such agony ever again, no matter what it cost him.

Behind him, Spider-Man noted Elixir talking to what looked like the Dark Rider as he tried to kill the golden mutant with his powers, "You're quite right, whoever you are, when you say that I have the power to take away life from those I encounter, but there's something else you should know: I can also give anything I touch _too_ much life as well!"

As Elixir grasped Dark Rider by the heel of his left foot, he sent a pulse of bright light into the so-called Master of Time that caused him to convulse heavily and collapse on the ground as Elixir walked away from him with a smile of his face.

_Well that was conveniently easy, _Spider-Man thought. _And where were you when Doom, Moondragon, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and I fought him?_

His spider-sense alerting him to danger, Spider-Man rolled in midair to avoid a blast of demonic energy that came from the fingertips of foe he'd thought dead, though with the mass resurrections he'd seen performed by Mephisto through the day, he was hardly surprised to see Sardeth the Sorcerer summoning the Demon of the Caves to oppose him.

_It just seems like the universe is devoted to me fighting Z-list villains before I can get to the real deal,_ Spider-Man thought as he slung a web underneath the Demon of the Caves' body to locate Sardeth, who was levitating in the middle of the field that separated Mephisto's palace from where the heroes were fighting.

Dodging a stray blast of hellfire accidentally sent his way by Ghost Rider, Spider-Man managed to recall the last time that he had faced Sardeth along with the Thing.

_When I came in direct contact with his aura, I got electrocuted, _Spider-Man thought as he avoided another blast sent forth from Sardeth. _Luckily for me, I happen to go up against a certain electrified supervillain every once in a while, so I'm always prepared. _

Reaching into his utility belt with one hand while he took out one of his regular web cartridges with his other hand, Spider-Man found his non-conductive webbing, and supplied his web-shooters with it as he then spun a web-line into Sardeth's mouth, sealing it shut as it began to show signs of what would have normally caused him to be electrocuted. Using the momentary surprise to his advantage, Spider-Man slung Sardeth into the Demon of the Caves, causing the sorcerer to lose control of his magic the moment he rammed into the Demon's thick hide, and the Demon of the Caves to dissipate the moment the one that had summoned it lost consciousness.

Staring up at the palace of Mephisto, Spider-Man found that he was almost there, just as he noted a small figure being held from ropes in front of Mephisto, who had been watching the battle with mild interest. Squinting, Spider-Man saw the outline of Mary Jane, who was covered by sharp-edged ropes and gagged by a pocket of demonic energy.

Throwing his fist up in the air, Spider-Man shouted, "I'm coming, Mary Jane! Hold on; I'm coming!"

Leaping over to the palace walls, Spider-Man almost managed to stick onto them, but the moment he edged close to them, his spider-sense warned him of danger and he pushed himself backward, barely avoiding a combination of repulsor rays, demonic lightning, and concussive blasts that could only come from three people he knew that formed a massive hole in the walls. Landing on the ground safely, Spider-Man looked up to see a distorted Cyclops, Iron Man, and Thor looking back at him, as he was alerted once more to danger by his spider-sense, managing to dodge a swipe created by a devilish-looking Giant-Man. Realizing instantly that these had to be members of the alternate versions of the Avengers and X-Men seen in the Fault, Spider-Man gulped and watched as the other heroes were surrounded by more abominations.

"Your time is finished, Spider-Man!" the alternate version of Iron Man yelled. "Your pathetic attempt to fight against our other master is pitiful, just like the time you tried to stop us from making our own deal with the Many-Angled Ones by allying with the Vision and the other science-based heroes!"

"Sounds like this other me had the right idea," Spider-Man said, holding his ground. "Tony, you have definitely seen better days. That has got to be the worst design for an Iron Man suit I've seen since the Hydro Armor!"

"Enough of this; kill him!"

Jolting to his left, Spider-Man felt the explosive forces offered by the enemies around him.

"It's all like something out of H.P. Lovecraft!" Spider-Man exclaimed. "Only more depressing and evil!"

To his right Spider-Man could see Ghost Rider and Rom back-to-back as they fought off the false Scarlet Witch and Ms. Marvel, while Steve, Elixir, and Doom fought off a congregation of cancerous X-Men.

_These guys are strong, _Spider-Man thought as he leapt across the plain to avoid the many frenzied blasts created by the denizens of the Fault. _This looks hopeless. We need help right now. Where are you Strange? Dr. Voodoo? By God I'd take help from Howard the Duck if it meant that we could get out of this alive. We haven't even been able to reach Mephisto yet and we're vastly outnumbered. How are we going to get out of this?_

Spinning a web to take hold of a nearby terrace, but his line was cut by the concussive beam that originated from the other Cyclops' eye, forcing him to fall before he could correct himself, just as the other Iron Man fired twin repulsor rays into his sides, almost causing him to lose consciousness when he hit the sandy ground. Weak from the attacks, Spider-Man tried to lift himself up, but the cancerous Giant-Man picked him up with his right hand and flung him into the side of the palace walls. Grunting as he felt the impact, Spider-Man tried to stick to the wall, but his unfocused mind failed to let him do so, and he collided once more with the ground, where he was once more picked up by Giant-Man, who turned him around and laughed in his face.

"Just like our Spider-Man, you were no challenge at all, fool," Giant-Man said, as he brought his arm back to slam Spider-Man into the wall once more.

Realizing his fate was sealed, Spider-Man tried to keep himself from crying, as he wished to find some way to break out of his bondage to reach Mary Jane, and at the very least apologize to her for placing her under so much trouble. Then, if he were allowed so, he would beg to let Steve and the others go back home safely, as he had dragged them there for nothing. He saw what he had done as a failure; the entire thing was his fault in the first place, and now there was nothing that could stop Mephisto from accomplishing his goals. Resigned to his fate, Spider-Man closed his eyes and begged to be forgiven for his sins, hoping that this last talk with God would ease his weary conscience.

However, at the last possible moment, a distinctive _snikt!_ sound entered his ears and he heard Giant-Man cry out in pain as he collapsed onto the ground behind him, while a combined wave of fire and ice deconstructed the false Iron Man's armor and Thor's hammer—which didn't seem to be as well made as the true Mjolnir—as the signature billy club of the Man Without Fear collided with the side of the other Cyclops' head, and a bazooka fired from an unknown source finished him off completely. Falling the exact moment that Giant-Man let go of him, Spider-Man began to wonder if he was hallucinating the whole thing, right as the long, elastic arms of Mr. Fantastic snatched him before he could hit the ground and brought him a football field's length away to where he would be safe.

Opening his eyes, Spider-Man found a relieved Reed Richards looking back at him, as Daredevil, the Human Torch, Iceman, Deadpool, and Wolverine came to his side. Hardly able to believe what he saw, Spider-Man almost lost clarity, but someone he could barely see appeared before him and surrounded him in a barrier of energy that began to heal the wounds that he had suffered from fighting the denizens of the Fault.

"Why are you guys here?" Spider-Man asked when he finished healing. "I thought that I was gone. Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I was promised cookies!" Deadpool announced. "And a lap dance! You know what? Forget the cookies; let's skip to the good part!"

Groaning at the poor joke, Spider-Man slapped himself in the face. "If this is God's idea of a practical joke before I die, I really wish He'd hurry it up and finish me off."

"Much obliged, bub," Wolverine said, unsheathing his adamantium claws and smiling.

"Wait a second," Johnny Storm said, also smiling. "Before you shish kebab him, we need to make sure he's hot enough to cook."

"Leave him alone you two," Reed said, examining Spider-Man's body and looking up at someone Spider-Man couldn't see. "Looks like we came just in time, right, Strange?"

Shifting his head to the right, Spider-Man found the former Sorcerer Supreme smiling back at him as he said, "I am sorry that we were unable to reach you sooner, Spider-Man. I had a problem locating everyone, especially once they found out why I was looking for help."

Spider-Man frowned. "Because they know what I did and hate me," he said, sighing. "I know. I don't blame them. Thanks to me Steve and the others are probably torn to pieces right now."

Daredevil and Iceman chuckled, as Strange shared a hearty laugh as well. "Why must you always be so constantly down on yourself, Spider-Man?" he asked. "Surely you think better of your allies than that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you stand up and look for yourself?"

Curious, Spider-Man pushed himself off the ground and stood up with Reed's help, as he looked out to find that not only were Steve, Rom, Ghost Rider, Elixir, and Doctor Doom still alive, but that they were surrounded by the largest throng of superheroes that he had ever seen in his entire life. His jaw open, but thankfully concealed by his mask, Spider-Man stared out into the sandy plains that surrounded Mephisto's palace, and looked at everyone that had come to rescue him.

The combined forces of the X-Men stood side-by-side with the Thunderbolts, where Luke Cage smiled at him from afar, as Namor the Sub-Mariner posed regally next to the cheerful faces of Cloak and Dagger. Next to them were the entire branches of the Avengers, including one group that Spider-Man didn't recognize that consisted of Moon Knight, Valkyrie, Beast, Black Widow, Sharon Carter, the newest Ant-Man, War Machine, and Nova. Power Pack, the Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Alpha Flight, the Agents of Atlas, and the Great Lakes Avengers stood behind the combined forces of Captain Britain, MI-13, the Initiative, Nick Fury and his Caterpillars, the Warrior's Three, Big Hero 6, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Midnight Sons. Near them was a collective of solo heroes and villains that ranged from Stingray to the Kingpin.

Unable to understand how the last one came into the picture, Spider-Man almost asked, but was interrupted by Wilson Fisk, "I know not why this has happened, Spider-Man, but let it be known that the Kingpin aided even one of his worst enemies when they were faced with the true personification of evil!"

Trying not to grip his fists, as it was arguable that the only reason that this had all come to pass was due to what the Kingpin had done to Aunt May, Spider-Man decided instead to focus on the others, awestruck at the group that had assembled to help him out.

A hand touched Spider-Man's shoulder and he found Dr. Voodoo standing in front of Jennifer Kale, Wiccan, Strange, and Daimon Hellstrom. "It was surprisingly easy to find those who would aid you in your hour of most need, Spider-Man," he said with a smile. "The moment that they learned that you were in danger, everyone who had ever cared for you offered their aid, causing Strange and I to waste time recreating a portal in order to fit everyone in it."

Spider-Man stared at him for a moment and then looked out at the others gathered there, who all wore a distinctive grin on their faces. "You mean, all they had to know was that I needed help and they came? They didn't even ask why?"

"Sure thing, Spidey," Johnny Storm said, as he wrapped his arm around Spider-Man and gave him a friendly noogie. "Whether you like it or not, a whole lot of people look up to you and, as much as I'm loathe to admit it, they like you better than anyone else they team-up with on a regular basis."

Freeing himself from Johnny's grasp, Spider-Man readjusted his mask and asked, "But why do they like me more? I haven't always been the nicest guy in the world."

"Spider-Man, now isn't the time for jokes," Daredevil said as he turned to face Spider-Man. "Everyone here knows that whenever they're in trouble and they need someone to help bail them out of it, you're always going to help out, no matter the risks. I know that better than most, due to recent events. If you ask any hero on the street who they can always depend upon to be there to keep them calm or focused during a battle, they'll point to you and say that your constant wisecracking helps them do what needs to be done, as they know that your confidence in their ability to succeed allows you to joke when danger's near."

"And I have never met a man braver, stronger, or more courageous than you in my life, son," Steve Rogers said as he approached Spider-Man. "People always look up to me to help out when they worry about not being able to do their jobs, but even I have to admit that when we work together I depend on you for your determination and unstoppable will to succeed to give me what I need to fight on for the people that I love."

Spider-Man gave out a small laugh and smiled underneath his mask. He had no idea that people ever looked at him as highly as they did. Of course he was aware that a lot of his fellow heroes loved being around him, but he had never known that they were this devoted to him, even people like Johnny, who was always holding a friendly rivalry with him. Looking over to where Wolverine was standing, Spider-Man waited for him to say something.

Seeing that he was being waited on, Logan pulled out the cigarette that he had somehow brought with him and threw it underneath his foot, as he stamped on it. "You want someone to tell you how great you are, go somewhere else, bub. I don't do that touchy-feely crap."

"Oh, Logan, you really do care!" Spider-Man exclaimed with false care in his voice.

"And don't forget Deadpool!" Deadpool announced as he fired off a round in the air with the extremely large gun he held in his hands. "I love Spidey as much as everyone else does too, you know!"

Looking at Deadpool, Spider-Man sighed and said, "Sure, why not?"

"Huzzah."

"Alright, talk's over, Web-head," Wolverine said, as he unleashed his claws. "It's time to get our hands dirty."

"Indeed," Steve said, looking out at the assembled heroes and shouting out, "Alright, people, it's time to do what we were brought here to get done! So now, Av—!"

Steve stopped once he found Spider-Man's hand on his right shoulder and looked over to him to see what it was that he wanted.

"Can I—Can I say the words, Steve?" Spider-Man asked.

Steve chuckled. "Have at it, son."

"Score," Spider-Man said as he stretched out his right hand and pointed toward Mephisto with his index finger. "Avengers assemble!"

A/N: Well, the next chapter will show the final battle for the soul of Mary Jane and the fate of the multiverse as Mephisto moves to seal his powers thanks to the deal. If I do it right, the next chapter will be very long, but will focus on several heroes mentioned here as they go through the battle. If you have any specific requests, let me know and I'll see if I can work them in somehow. Until next time.


	10. Chapter 10

Spider-Man rushed in front of the heroes after ushering them forward into battle and met up with the first one unlucky enough to end up in his path, which just happened to be Shade, one of his foes that he had thought gone forever after defeating him with Strange's help.

Before the minor villain could let out an attack, Spider-Man punched him in the face, as he said, "Looks like you picked the wrong day to come out of obscurity, loser."

Webbing up the unconscious villain, Spider-Man sent a web-line onto the bottom of the levitated form of Modred the Mystic, who was too busy fighting off Nico Minoru, Namor, and Volstagg to worry about Spider-Man using him as a means to move swiftly. Looking out into the battlefield, Spider-Man saw thousands of demons advancing on the heroes and villains that had been assembled to help him, as well as over a hundred sorcerers and mystical beings, some of which he had never seen before. Figuring that they were being controlled by Mephisto in the same way that N'astirh had been, Spider-Man decided to avoid them at all costs, and to make his way to Mary Jane and Mephisto, who was watching the battle with relative calm on his face, as if he wasn't worried about his situation at all. Seeing Mephisto's confidence and the unconscious form of Mary Jane with him, Spider-Man focused himself on finding a way to get to her without getting sidetracked.

_Peter, this is Stephen Strange, _a voice belonging to the former Sorcerer Supreme said in Spider-Man's head. _There is something you need to know before you continue to Mephisto._

_Lay it on me, doc, _Spider-Man sent back.

_You need to distract Mephisto and weaken him long enough for us to seal him. It will not last long, but in this small moment of time he will be unable to escape and then be forced to then accept any terms that we come up with. In that moment, Dr. Voodoo, Talisman, Shaman, Daimon Hellstrom, Jennifer Kale, and I shall bind him in order for you to demand him to rescind the deal he forced you to make. _

_Sounds like a plan, Strange. I'll get to him and do exactly that. Just make sure you can actually take him down, otherwise it won't be so pretty for me._

_Understood, Peter, but there is something else that you must know._

_Of course there is,_ Spider-Man sent back as he assisted Gargoyle, Aurora, Topaz, Satana, and Dazzler take down the Adversary.

_There are consequences for making the deal, even if you were coerced, _Strange sent. _It pains me to tell you this, but to restore the multiverse to balance, you must lose that which was saved in the first place._

Avoiding a bolt of energy sent by the Adversary, Spider-Man realized exactly what his friend was talking about and almost let out a tear, but the constant danger of the Adversary made him put his emotions aside.

_Will I have time to talk to her? _Spider-Man asked.

_The sooner you leave here once the deal is nullified, the better chance you'll have to be with her in her last moments,_ Strange sent back.

_Then I'd better get started._

Punching the Adversary in the face along with the newly-arrived heroes Forge and Puma, Spider-Man leapt away from him, allowing Topaz and Satana to seal him back in the dimension that he came from, and giving him the chance to continue on his path to save Mary Jane.

_I'm coming, MJ,_ he thought. _Just hold on a little longer._

* * *

Aunt Petunia's favorite nephew, the ever-loving blue-eyed Thing, smashed through a barrier erected by some hack sorcerer named Moondark. Penetrating the barrier then caused Moondark to scream out his inability to understand how a non-magical being had undone his works, but the scream was silenced was the Thing knocked the man out with a timely punch to the gut, sending the mystic a football field's length away with the blow.

"Nice shot, Grimm!" shouted out the voice of Dr. David Banner, the recently depowered and then repowered Incredible Hulk.

Banner jumped off of the rock he'd been on to direct the Thing's assault and then landed near him, just as Skaar—Banner's son through his relationship with Caiera from his time on the planet Sakaar—did the same. The combination of the Hulk's irradiated physiology and the peak of Oldstrong power, Skaar had sworn to kill his father, but had found out that he had recently lost his powers due to the machinations of the Red Hulk, and now stood by his side in order to train himself for the day when he would kill Banner and become the strongest being the universe.

The Thing walked over to them, as Mr. Fantastic, Hank Pym, Iron Man, Amadeus Cho, T'Challa, Sue Storm, and Hank McCoy came as well.

Reed Richards spoke up first, "Strange and Dr. Voodoo have made a plan to incapacitate Mephisto, but it's necessary for Spider-Man to get to him first. I don't pretend to understand the magic behind this, but apparently Spider-Man is the only one who can truly use whatever it is he has to weaken Mephisto enough to make him easy to trap."

"So what's our job going to be while he does that?" the Beast asked.

"It's up to us to coordinate the others so that Spider-Man has an easier time getting over to Mephisto," Hank Pym said.

"With us in the lead, the forces that Mephisto has under his thrall will be unable to focus their efforts on stalling Spider-Man," T'Challa said.

"But we'll need to split up to organize them," Sue said. "I have no doubt that everyone else here can handle these demons and villains on their own, but a more coordinated attack force will get more done."

"Then I suggest we continue communication through these," Iron Man said as he brought out a group of small communicators.

"Sweet gadgets, Tony," Cho said, and then, as an aside to himself, "I could do better."

"Okay, Skaar and I will go to where Power Pack is and help them against...Belasco it looks like," Banner said, hopping onto Skaar's back as the latter jumped into the air to meet up with Power Pack.

"I shall go help out Steve and the others," Beast said, accepting his communicator as he bounded over to where Steve Rogers, Nova, the Valkyrie, Sharon Carter, Ant-Man, the Black Widow, War Machine, and Moon Knight were fighting Fin Fang Foom.

The others accepted their communicators and left off to their chosen fields of battle.

"Give Doom one as well," the regal voice of Doctor Doom announced from behind them, forcing Reed and the Thing to look at him, contempt in their eyes.

"Oh great, he's here," Thing said. "Wotta revoltin' development 'dis is."

"Hello, Victor," Reed said, trying to make sure Ben didn't do something he would later regret by sending a stretched arm out in front of the Thing.

"Richards," Doom said. "Doom requires a communicator, although Doom could use his own devices to talk with you, it is beneath him to do so."

"And why do you need one then?" Reed asked. "Who are you going to help?"

"Spider-Man has needs of Doom's skills," Doom said. "Doom shall provide them to then take revenge on Mephisto for what he has done to Doom's memories."

Reed looked over to Sue and Ben, who shrugged in unison. "All right then, Victor," Reed said. "Here; be careful."

Doom accepted Stark's communicators and said, "And you as well, Richards. It would not please Doom to see you die from a foe that is not himself."

Chanting some mystical spell, Doom disappeared, leaving three members of the Fantastic Four alone to fight.

"Ready?" Reed asked them.

"When you are, dear," Sue said, erecting an invisible platform for them to ride on.

The Thing cracked his knuckles. "It's clobbering time!"

* * *

Felicia Hardy, known better as the Black Cat, smiled as the demon in front of her began to fall as if something had impeded its path, when, in reality, no such thing existed. Laughing inwardly, she jumped into the air and knocked the demon out with a swift kick to the face. It was always interesting to watch the ones who were unknowingly affected by the bad luck powers that she had gained years before from the Kingpin, although, at times, it was hard making sure that her enemies were the only ones that were affected by it.

Smiling, she continued her fight against the seemingly endless supply of faceless demons that Mephisto was controlling. Normally she wouldn't be anywhere near a situation like the one she was in now, but she was always willing to make exceptions when Spider-Man was involved. Although she knew that they would never have anything more than the occasional passing fling, Felicia cared deeply for him, and had come to Strange without asking about the risks, even if it meant that she could get hurt. She would never admit it to him in person, but Felicia admired the man under the mask, even if she couldn't stand to see his face sometimes. Where she was flighty and impetuous, he was noble and unyielding in his resolve to protect anyone, even if he didn't know them. Felicia had tried several times to follow Spider-Man's example, but each time she had somehow ended up in the life that she had led before meeting him, which disappointed her immensely. Even if she couldn't fully change herself, Felicia would do whatever it took to make sure that Spider-Man was safe, as he had done so himself for her several times over.

Casting aside her thoughts, Felicia sent a grappling hook into the shoulders of a demon that looked like it was composed of granite, using the momentum gained from the hook to jump over it and land safely near a mercenary she knew from her stint in the Heroes for Hire: Paladin.

Surprised to see him there based on what she knew of him, Felicia asked, "And what brings you here, Paul?"

Noting her presence for the first time, Paladin offered her a mischievous grin and said, "Strange promised me some money to help out, so I couldn't refuse."

Felicia snickered. "Oh, please. Spare me the lies. I'll send some bad luck your way, you know."

Sighing, Paladin fired a round of energy from his trademarked stun gun that completely immobilized the demon it hit the moment the two connected, and said, "All right, fine, you caught me. I'm not here for the money."

"Well…I'll let you in on a little secret: You're not alone."

"Ha, like I believe that."

"Oh, it's true. I have nothing but noble intentions being here."

"Well, as long as we're speaking nothing but the truth, I might as well spill it: I like the guy. There, I said it. Spider-Man's just likeable, even to people like me, and I've been around Captain America more times than you can count."

Felicia smiled. "I know exactly what you mean."

A couple yards away, Felicia viewed Hawkeye and the Falcon taking down a demon that looked like the misbegotten child of an elephant seal and a koala on steroids, due to a mix of proper explosive arrow placement and clever dive-bombing.

Felicia became aware of the presence of a demon behind her and tried to twirl around to get rid of it, but her aim was off and the demon looked ready to latch onto her face. However, the moment that she closed her eyes, Felicia heard a blow connect and a body fall fast to the ground. Daring to open her eyes, she found Anti-Venom savoring his successful defeat of the demon that had plagued her. Knowing from experience that Anti-Venom was the former owner of the black symbiote: Eddie Brock.

"Even you came here, Brock?" Felicia asked.

"No one may harm him but me," Anti-Venom said as he jumped to his next target.

Watching him leave, Felicia barely heard Paladin say, "Real charmer, isn't he?"

"I've dealt with worse men. Come on, we're not done here yet. Spider-Man still needs our help."

* * *

The one and only Merc with a Mouth, Wade Wilson, the devastatingly decadent and divisive Deadpool grabbed a rogue demon that was cowled in a costume befitting the deranged mind of a billionaire genius with parental issues and flung it into the air, where he finished it off with a well-placed grenade.

"Oh, but don't worry about him, kiddies," Deadpool said as he moved on to the next target on his list. "You'll be seeing him again soon enough in _Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne_, due to hit stores this merry month of May!"

Near Deadpool stood Iceman, Daredevil, Iron Fist, the Human Torch, and Wolverine, who were all engaged in taking down a colossal amalgamation of a group of Mindless Ones.

"Who in God's name is he talking too?" Daredevil asked as he hurled Iron Fist toward the gigantic Mindless One.

Iron Fist allowed the energy that coursed through his body to envelop his right hand as he struck a decisive blow that shattered parts of the Mindless One's face. Johnny Storm then flash-fried the same spot, causing the Mindless One to howl out in pain.

"Just pretend you don't hear him," Iceman said.

"It's better for your mental health that way," Wolverine said, finishing off the Mindless One once Iron Fist allowed him the chance to sever the tough skin of the beast with another fast blow to the creature's face.

Deadpool, oblivious to their dialogue, continued on his path to taking out as many of the demons in his way that he could.

"It's a fine day for a glorious battle royale with cheese!" Deadpool shouted, as he fired off a silver bullet from his sidearm that hit a vampire his POOL-O-VISION identified as Bela, who crumpled into dust. "Then again I can't help but feel that this isn't even in continuity for some strange reason."

Shrugging, Deadpool began to walk away, just as he was hit in the head with a mallet owned by Doctor Bong, sworn nemesis of Howard the Duck.

"Who again?" Deadpool asked as he stood back up and looked over at Doctor Bong. "Oh, wait, I remember you: _Deadpool 26, Volume 2_, right?"

"What?" Dr. Bong asked. "I was your therapist, idiot!"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. So…uh, whatcha doin' here?"

"Mephisto promised me that I shall receive Beverly Switzler as my wife once more if could help him win this battle! I'm coming, Beverly!"

"Uh-huh, so, um, good luck with that. Kay, bye."

Ready to run off from him, Deadpool heard Dr. Bong whack his head with the mallet, causing the bell-shaped helmet he wore to send out a frequency that caused Deadpool's muscles to freeze.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Dr. Bong yelled. "I have to defeat you!"

"Is your name by any chance Squirrel Girl?" Deadpool asked.

"What? Of course it isn't! I'm Dr. Bong!"

"Oh, thank God. The last thing I want to do is fight her again!"

Dr. Bong, furious at being ignored, shouted out, "That does it! I challenge you to a DDR faceoff!"

"Come again?"

"It doesn't involve talking so I thought it'd be a good idea. Now, begin!"

Before Deadpool could react, Dr. Bong hit his bell again and immediately the tunes of The B-52's "Rock Lobster" began to play, forcing Deadpool to begin dancing. Defying the laws of physics and sanity, a DDR platform appeared underneath his feet, just as another one appeared underneath Dr. Bong, and he danced to "Walk This Way" by Run D.M.C and Aerosmith.

_None of this makes sense, _Deadpool thought. _And if I'm calling out something for not making any sense, then I just believe that cold chill is Hell freezing over._

"Ha-ha!" Dr. Bong. "You're no match for me, fool!"

Checking the scores, Deadpool realized he was losing, and tried to up his dancing, but it was too late, and the songs ended, with him having a thousand less points than Dr. Bong. Before he could offer a witty statement, the DDR platform blew up in his face, and Deadpool was sent hurtling seventy feet away, his body covered with vast wounds that poured out a vast quantity of his own blood.

Staring over the battered body of Deadpool, Dr. Bong shouted out, "Your feeble attempts at using DDR are nothing compared to my abilities!"

"Then get ready for some Quak-Fu!" yelled out Howard the Duck, who smashed the side of Dr. Bong's head, sending the both of them to another portion of the battle.

"Huh," Deadpool said, scratching his head. "Didn't see that coming. Just remember a little something Wade Wilson: "None of this is real. There is a fanboy, sitting at his computer desk, writing a fix fic for what was a fantastically drawn story."

Getting back up, Deadpool allowed his healing factor to take care of the wounds that he had received during his fight.

"Isn't that right, Christian?" he asked as he began to—_Wait what did you just say? Did you just directly reference me in the story?_

"Yep."

_Do you know how conceited it makes me look to be inserted into this fan-fic? _I asked. _I'll already probably get a lot of flak for including this inane piece in an otherwise serious fic. This isn't how it was supposed to happen, you know. I'm just the narrator for crying out loud. _

"Oh quit your crying, fanboy, and let me handle the narration from here on out!"

_I don't think that that's a good idea—_ I started to say, but I was interrupted.

"All right, boys and girls…and people of other genders! It's time for the duplicitous and dogmatic Deadpool to show you how it's done!"

_You don't even know what those words mean, _I protested. _You're only using them here because they're alliterative._

"Says the man who wrote: 'the devastatingly decadent and divisive Deadpool.'"

I paused, knowing my hypocrisy had just been brought to life and that I had just lost to one of my own creations.

"That's right, fanboy!" Deadpool announced as he decapitated another demon with his katana. "I'm in control now, so deal with it! I have a pivotal role to play in the end!"

Deadpool, thrice-voted Sexiest Man Alive in the same tournament, magnanimously used his haploid meat cleaver to rusticate a Jabberwocky in two as it tried to magnify the Deadpool's narcoleptic face, as he used words he didn't know the meaning of to say some stuff.

"Hey, kids, this is your one and only friend Deadpool reminding you to pick up _Deadpool Team-Up Volume 1: Good Buddies_, _Deadpool Volume 4: Monkey Business_, and the _Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection Book 2_ at a comic book store near you this coming June before the readers figure out that too much of me will end up with me becoming the next overused comic character in history! Here's looking at you Venom!"

_Alright, that does it! _I roared. _This is my fan-fic, not yours, so suck it, Wade!_

"Wait, Christian!" Deadpool shouted out. "Can't we at least be Facebook friends?"

_Friend request ignored!_

And now for something completely different…

* * *

Mephisto watched as the heroes gathered to fight him struggled against the forces he had sent to stall them. It was quite amusing to see their futile attempt to take back something from him that had been freely given, even if some manipulation on his part had been involved. The heroes were valiantly fighting those that he had brought to stall them, and were showing a vast amount of bravery, but it was all in vain.

He had all the power he needed to control the multiverse and shape it into his image, but it wouldn't do to start now. It would be far more satisfying to wait until Spider-Man came to fight him and then to activate his plans to take what was rightfully his.

In truth, he could have picked almost any pure hearted hero from the Earth to get what he wanted, but Spider-Man had been the easiest to corrupt due to the situations he had been placed in through his own actions, most of which had occurred without Mephisto's interference. It was quite fun to see the paragon of what was right in the heroic community to slowly lose his grip on reality and go back into a costume that he associated with hatred to deal with the foes that had hurt his loved ones. It had been greater still to see him fail in almost everything he set out to do to save his beloved aunt.

Now, though, he was content to watch as events unfolded before him, while he also could savor the hope that Mary Jane Watson held for her forcibly-divorced husband to come over to them and rescue her. It was funny to know that the woman could still think about hope in what was obviously a hopeless situation for everyone else but him. She knew that he had control over her soul and that he would use her to defeat Spider-Man, yet she still held on to the thought that they could win and force him to rescind his deal.

"You still think he can win, my dear?" Mephisto asked.

When she did not answer, he looked over to Mary Jane and studied her for a moment. It seemed that she was engaged in conversation with someone else, someone that he could not see. That was impossible of course, so he wondered if she had gone mad, but, on further investigation of her psyche, he found her to be in complete mental health. Concerned now, he walked over to Mary Jane, who continued what appeared to be a one-sided conversation with an invisible being.

"Yes, I understand, sweetheart," she said. "I know why you can't show up in any other way than this. I'm so sorry for what we did to you."

She waited for an answer.

"Manipulated or not, we still made the deal. We're not blameless."

Another pause.

"Well, it's called the Parker syndrome where I come from. It means that no matter what we'll find a way to blame ourselves, even if we didn't do something wrong on purpose."

"Enough!" Mephisto yelled, bringing Mary Jane's attention to him. "Who are you in contact with? Is it Strange? Dr. Voodoo? Who?"

"I guess you aren't as all-powerful as you thought, ugly, if you can't sense someone as powerless as whom I'm talking to. How pathetic."

"Tell me, woman!"

"Make me."

About to strike her down, Mephisto relented, figuring that it didn't matter who she was talking to, as his coming reign was all but inevitable, so he walked away from her and came back to his throne, where he waited for Spider-Man to come fight him.

* * *

Spider-Man continued on his way to the walls of Mephisto's palace, while everyone else fought off those that tried to get in his way. Earlier the heroes and villains had been disorganized, almost ineffective against the demons they fought, but now, thanks to the coordination of Iron Man, Reed Richards, T'Challa, and others, a better effort had been made that had defeated the vast majority of the foes they fought against.

Looking back, Spider-Man found that he was being tailed by someone that obviously didn't want to be discovered, and, upon finding out who it was, he could understand why. He knew more than others how deeply pride could cause a person to act in their own interests, so he decided to leave his pursuer enough space to constantly stay with him, just in case he was needed to help him out later on.

A portal opened before Spider-Man and his spider-sense blared in his mind, almost to the point where he couldn't pay attention to where he was going. Attempting to avoid the portal, he pushed himself backward, only to find, mid-somersault, that yet another portal had opened itself behind him as well. Staring into the one in front of him, Spider-Man found a contingent of bulky purple tentacles exiting it, as more tentacles of varied color exited from the portal behind him. Wishing that his spider-sense would hurry up and shut itself off as he already knew he was in danger, Spider-Man watched as the purple tentacles finished exiting the portal in front of him, finding that they belonged to a cancerous Galactus, Devourer of Worlds. Behind him emerged a group of abominations that he could find no analogue to in his universe, and guessed that they had to be the Many-Angled Ones that the members of the Fault worshiped. All of them had what appeared to be a permanent scowl on their faces, as Spider-Man began to feel the basest forms of madness enter his mind.

The cancerous Galactus stood up on his almost stable feet and looked down at Spider-Man, who felt as if this Galactus was almost two times larger than the one that he was used to, causing him to wish that he had someone to help him out. The Many-Angled Ones behind him stayed in place, almost as if they wished to watch and see what would happen. Spider-Man then checked his surroundings, hoping that the Silver Surfer was somewhere near him, but the former herald of Galactus was preoccupied with defending the wounded members of Power Pack from the resurrected Living Monolith.

"_THE GREAT HUNGER IS UPON ME!_" Galactus bellowed. "_YOUR RESISTANCE IS CAUSING MY HUNGER TO GROW! DIE!_"

Ready to dodge whatever blast or blow that the cancerous Galactus sent, Spider-Man was surprised when the aberration began to walk forward, and was suddenly tripped by a gigantic pale foot, and then hurled forward, unable to stop himself from colliding with the Many-Angled Ones, and then forcing them back into the portal that they had used to enter the brawl. Looking at the scene unfold with incredulity in his thoughts, Spider-Man watched as the portal closed upon itself, sealing off the eldritch abominations from the fight permanently.

_Well that was…anticlimactic, _Spider-Man thought. _What in the world just happened?_

Turning to see where the foot that had tripped the cancerous Galactus had come from, he found an emotionless Uatu the Watcher staring back at him.

Holding out his hands, Spider-Man said, "Okay, I have to ask, do you even care about that whole noninterference rule of yours anymore?"

Placing a finger over his mouth, Uatu gave the vaguest sense of a smile and nonchalantly pointed to his left, which Spider-Man found was completely devoid of any hero, villain, demon, or other participant in the fight, and, coincidentally enough, allowed for a straight path to where Mephisto held Mary Jane.

"Well, thanks for your help," Spider-Man said as he let out a web-line to enter the void.

_If the Watcher's here, then this means this is very important, _Spider-Man thought. _As if I didn't know that already._

His spider-sense suddenly activating, Spider-Man dropped off of his web-line, barely missing the attacking Hood, who shot at him with magically-infused bullets. Leaping around to miss them as well, Spider-Man shot a glob of webbing into the Hood's chest, causing him to fall to the ground, but not for long.

"Looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew this time, Spider-Man," the Hood said as he prepared to launch another attack.

"Well at least I don't go around calling people like Dormammu and Loki my best friends all the time," Spider-Man said, using his left hand to perch part of his body on a rock formation, while the rest of his body dodged the demonic bullets sent his way.

"Stay still, insect!"

"You know what, Robbins? I'm really getting tired of people saying that."

Swinging underneath the Hood using two web-lines, Spider-Man crushed a portion of the Hood's jaw as he forced the demonically-powered villain into the side of the walls surrounding Mephisto's palace, knocking him out of the fight completely.

"Now that was satisfying," Spider-Man said as he gauged the size of the walls to see how he could climb up them.

_Oh, screw that, _he thought.

Sending out two web-lines from his webshooters, Spider-Man slowly moved backward, ready to propel himself over the walls once he got the proper distance. Stepping back once more, Spider-Man did the math in his head, finding that he had more than enough of an angle to reach his destination, and let go of his webs, which forced him upward and over the walls to where a brooding Mephisto and astonished Mary Jane greeted him. Looking over to where she was, he saw the relief in her face, as well as the fear of her knowing that he would be fighting someone that he could never defeat alone. To Spider-Man's surprise, he also saw the little girl he had come to identify as his own future daughter, who smiled at him.

Looking back at Mephisto, Spider-Man said, "It's over. Nullify the deal and we'll leave you alone."

Mephisto chuckled. "Who is this we you speak of? I only see you."

"Well, as luck would have it, I've been followed by a certain someone for the past couple of minutes. You've already met him, but he's really interested in meeting you again."

Mephisto opened his mouth to speak, but he was blasted by a combination of what looked like an electric based weapon and a spell filled with negative energy. The mixture of juxtaposed powers caused the demon lord to cry out in pain.

"Mephisto!" yelled out the vehement voice of Doctor Doom. "Now is the time for you to face your true opponent: Doom!"

"You again!" Mephisto shouted. "When will you learn to leave me alone, whelp!"

Mephisto sent a wave of hellfire toward Doom, who avoided it with a simple incantation, while Spider-Man joined him once the hellfire was extinguished.

"Thanks for the assist," Spider-Man said.

"Doom does not assist," Doom said.

"Then you haven't been following me around and waiting for me to find a way in here so that you could fight him yourself."

Doom remained silent.

"Looks like Doom is speechless," Spider-Man said.

"Look out!" Doom declared, as he erected a barrier that sent another wave of hellfire away from them.

Dodging another blast once the barrier went down, Doom and Spider-Man leaped over to opposing corners of the throne room, forcing Mephisto to change his tactics. Sending a web-line to a beam, Spider-Man jumped into the air, avoiding more demonic blasts on his way up, while Doom dueled Mephisto in a battle consisting of words Spider-Man had never heard before in his entire life.

Using the distraction to his advantage, Spider-Man went over to Mary Jane and ripped open the bonds that suspended her in the air. Catching her the moment the bonds atrophied, Spider-Man let them land on the ground without problem. They looked at each other for a long time, completely oblivious to what Mephisto and Doom were doing.

"I'm so sorry!" they said in unison, crying in each other's arms before they could say another word.

Spider-Man recovered first, saying, "I'm so sorry, MJ. This is all my fault."

"No, it's not, Peter. It's my fault. I'm the one who actually made the deal!"

"But I stood by and didn't do a thing!"

"Oh for the love of God," a young woman's voice said from behind them. "This is what I don't miss about you two."

Turning to meet the voice, Spider-Man and Mary Jane found their daughter, who was shaking her head and had her arms crossed.

"It's always, 'My fault this' or 'My fault that' with you two," she said. "Good Lord, you two, this is downright depressing."

"Our unborn daughter just called us depressing," Spider-Man said. "I think she doesn't like us."

"You think so, tiger?" Mary Jane asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yep. Glad we could agree on something."

"Peter?"

"Yes, MJ?"

"Let's compromise. It's both of our faults. Oh, and Mephisto's."

"Now that's a deal I can get behind."

Lifting up his mask, Spider-Man reached over to Mary Jane and kissed her as he held her tight. It had been a long time since he'd felt this way about her, and now he was content to keep that feeling in his mind for as long as they could manage.

"Oh, how cute, you made up," their daughter said. "Now get out there and kick some ass, Dad!"

Spider-Man smiled, pulled down his mask, and asked, "But what about you two? You're not looking that great, kid. You look like you're ready to dissolve. And who's going to protect MJ while I'm off fighting?"

"Leave that to me, Dad. No one's ever going to lay a finger on Mom ever again. I'll be fine; trust me."

Spider-Man nodded. "Before I go, though, can I know your name?"

She smiled at the both of them. "It's May."

Mixed feelings in his heart, Spider-Man slung off to where Mephisto and Doom were fighting, only to discover a moment later that the ruler of Latveria was lying in a crater, as the signs of what looked like steam came off of his body.

"Nice of you to come back, Peter," Mephisto said, smiling. "Doom and I were just finishing up here."

Knowing what he had to do, Spider-Man jumped over to Doom, picked up his body, and ran off with it before Mephisto could burn it to a crisp. Placing Doom's still conscious form over to the side, Spider-Man left him alone and jumped back over to Mephisto, who waited for him patiently as he sat back down on his throne.

"The deal cannot be retracted," Mephisto said. "Your fight is pointless. Leave now and you may yet live."

Spider-Man stood in front of Mephisto and took off his mask, offering him a simple one-word response, "No."

"No?" Mephisto repeated. "Still the fool I see."

"No, I'm not. I'm the one who's going to make sure you pay for what you've done to the people I love, Mephisto! Your reign is over!"

Letting his fingers touch the triggers on his webshooters, Spider-Man sent out a vast quantity of impact webbing, which did little to the demon lord, but provided enough of a minor distraction for him to climb up the demon's legs to land a blow on his chin, which left a small white mark when he jumped off of him.

Incredulous, Mephisto snarled and hit Spider-Man with a black energy bolt, causing him to use his webbing to lodge itself in a nearby pillar so that he wouldn't collide into the wall next to him. Barely registering the first attack, Spider-Man was unprepared for the next one that then sent him into the ground. Resetting his jaw, Spider-Man cried out in pain, and managed to miss an attempt to smash him back into the palace floor.

Spider-Man tried to get up and sent a volley of webbing into Mephisto's right eye, but it did little to stop him from getting hit once more from a demonically-infused bolt of energy that sent a spasm of agony throughout his body. Before he could pick himself up, Spider-Man was grabbed by Mephisto and brought before his face.

"An admirable, if short, attempt, but ultimately futile, Spider-Man," Mephisto said as he smiled. "You've lost, my arachnid friend, and now there is nothing you can do to stop me from completing my goals. Mary Jane's soul is mine, as is yours now that you have defied me this day. Farewell."

Mephisto raised his other hand backward and launched it to suck away Spider-Man's soul from him, but he was interrupted by an unexpected hero.

"Hey, nobody demoralizes Spidey unless it's me!" Deadpool declared as he appeared out of nowhere and jumped right into the air and balled his fist to strike a blow at Mephisto's face. "_RETCON PUNCH!_"

Surprisingly enough, the punch delivered a wave of white energy all over the spot where Deadpool had hit Mephisto, and the demon lord cried out his pain, but only for a small moment of time. Spider-Man used the momentary respite to land on the floor on both his feet safely, as he watched his new savior ramble for no apparent reason at all.

"Ha-ha, Mr. Narrator!" Deadpool yelled into the skies. "Let's see you shut me out of the story now! I told you I had a pivotal role to play, and now I did it, so you can suck it now!"

_You know what, Deadpool? _I asked. _I'm going to ruin you, moron. I know the only way that you can be defeated!_

"Just try it, Captain Geek."

_Do you remember the time when you had to wear Tom Cruise's face?_

"Yeah, but—Oh, no, you wouldn't dare do it!"

_Oh yes I would. Now sit down in the corner until I tell you to come back out!_

"Oh, you're no fun."

_Wait a second, I've seen this before, _Spider-Man thought as he ignored Deadpool's many mindless rants. _When I fought Blackheart the exact same thing happened to him. I know exactly how to make him weak enough for Strange and the others to deal with._

Using the wonderful distraction of Deadpool to his advantage, Spider-Man launched himself at Mephisto and punched him, just as a wave of white energy filled the area of the blow. Recalling everything that had happened to him to bring him to this moment, Spider-Man began to deliver punch after punch into the face of the demon lord. Mephisto attempted to fight back, but the concentrated pure energy caused him to lose focus and his senses began to dull.

"Not one more day of this, Mephisto!" Spider-Man yelled as he landed a blow for every word he spoke. "_NOT! ONE! MORE! DAY!_"

Crying out in agony, Mephisto fell to the ground following the last blow delivered to his head and he collapsed on the floor as the white energies around him infiltrated his body and sent in their own powers to weaken him.

"Now, Strange!" Spider-Man called out.

Suddenly a group of mystics appeared in the center of Mephisto's throne room and called forth a combined spell that bound Mephisto to the floor of his own palace. He found among their number Strange, Dr. Voodoo, Jennifer Kale, Shaman, Talisman, and Daimon Hellstrom, all of whom he had dealt with in the past either directly or indirectly. The sorcerers gathered in the throne room then began to chant a spell that Mephisto could barely make out in his wounded state. Mephisto gazed up from the ground of his own realm, finding that Strange and the other mystics had brought a powerful entity into the battle, one that had more than enough power to hold him down as they beat him: Eternity, the living embodiment of the entire universe.

"Mephisto, you have brought this upon yourself for daring to manipulate the chosen path of the universe," Eternity said, almost in a whisper. "Now, demon, face your foes and know that you have failed."

Before Mephisto could fight back, he was shrunk down in size by Eternity and sealed in magical bonds by the allied sorcerers, causing him to try to break free of them, but to no avail.

"Even if you coax this out of me, your beloved aunt dies!" Mephisto roared. "She will be the sacrifice that the universe demands for your actions! She will die!"

Spider-Man looked over to Mary Jane and May—who had both walked over to him once Mephisto had fallen—for a moment, and the two shared a thought of their immediate future, causing Spider-Man to say, "I've made my peace with that, Mephisto. I accept it as reality and will use it to inspire my daughter to one day rise up against you and force you off of your throne!"

"No! No! No! This cannot be happening! Not after all of my careful planning! No!"

Grabbing Mephisto by the throat, Spider-Man yelled, "Give me my future back now!"

Howling in rage, Mephisto said, "I nullify the deal I have made with you! The marriage that you hold so dear is yours once more!"

Spider-Man stood by Mary Jane, as they wrapped their arms around the other's shoulders to watch what would happen. The moment Mephisto uttered his final sentence, a blinding flash entered the dimension, and Spider-Man felt a wave of energy overtake him, as he saw a group of images from the world that should have happened. A moment later, though, it was over, and the force that had taken possession of him was gone, leaving him standing next to Mephisto with Mary Jane still holding on to him. They looked at one another and Mary Jane smiled as she brought up her left hand and pointed to one of her fingers, revealing the ring that he had given the day that he had asked her to marry him. Elated at the sight, Spider-Man checked his own ring finger, and found his own, and the two embraced once more at the realization.

Mephisto continued to howl in the back of their minds, but the demon lord was forced to end his threats against them once Dr. Voodoo clamped his mouth shut with a spell. At that exact moment, the heroes and villains that had been fighting moments ago arrived, filling the palace with their vibrancy and happiness at a successfully completed mission.

Mary Jane and Spider-Man ended their embrace a moment later and the two looked at each other in the eye with a mournful expression on their faces.

"It's still going to happen to her, isn't he?" Spider-Man asked.

But before Mary Jane could answer, May spoke up: "It will."

They turned to see her and watched as her once ethereal form changed into a better-fitting corporal one, and as she changed in age from a girl around six to a young woman around twenty.

"How much time do we have?" Mary Jane asked.

"Not too much," May answered. "Say what you need to here and then go home."

Spider-Man nodded. "Thanks for everything, May."

"No, Dad, thank you."

Disappearing before their eyes, May returned to her home, which now coincided with the proper timeline that they had restored that day.

Spider-Man turned around to see his friends looking back at him, all smiling at the battle that they had just won together. From a self-righteous Deadpool to a bruised and battered, yet somehow still regal Doctor Doom, they waited for him to speak.

"I can never thank you guys properly for what you've done for us today," Spider-Man said, fighting back a stray tear from leaving his eye. "I wish that this never had to happen, but thanks to you, it turned out the way it was supposed to. Thank you for everything."

Accepting the praise, the heroes and villains assembled there vanished as the teleporters in the palace brought them back to their places of residence. Finally, after the last group had left, Spider-Man and Mary Jane were alone, save for Stephen Strange, who said, "I can take you to her home now, Peter and Mary Jane. Are you ready?"

Spider-Man nodded. "We're ready. Hold on just a little longer Aunt May."


	11. Epilogue

A/N: Wow, it's finally ending, guys. I've had so much fun writing this, and I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as I have. (I even found out that a user named KeeneTheMan has placed my story under the recommended Marvel Universe fan-fiction page on TVTropes, so thanks for that, Keene.) Sorry for the lateness of this, but I just got back to working, and I haven't had much time to work on this, especially since it turned out to be larger than I expected. (Mostly due to a minor plot point I wanted to rectify.) Please let me know if there's anything I need to change or correct, and thanks for sticking along for the ride.

Epilogue: The Consequences

**1**

May Reilly Parker-Jameson lay down on her bed—as the clock in the hallway chimed the time as midnight—unable to fall back so sleep due to a recent nightmare. Closing her eyes for a moment, she was almost overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of a flash of memories from a life that she had experienced before, and one that was significantly different from the one she lived now. Images of a sniper's bullet penetrating her body and sending her into the hospital caused her to clutch her chest, as her husband, J. Jonah Jameson Sr. awakened and watched as she stood up and shouted out her pain.

"May?" he asked, unsure of what to do as he turned on the lights.

Trembling, May looked over to him, seeing flashes of her late husband Ben Parker and further images of his death in her mind, along with the first reports of the Spider-Man, who had apprehended the burglar that had shot Ben. More memories flooded her mind, as May began to remember certain parts of her life that had been taken away from her, until she finally witnessed the sight of seeing her adopted son laying on his bed, covered in bruises and blood, and wearing a tattered Spider-Man outfit. Another image of what should have been the last image that she'd see in her life appeared, causing her to sigh out her grief, as she now knew that her family had been tricked into restoring a life that should have ended a long time ago.

"Peter," she said, almost in a whisper. "I don't blame you. I don't blame either of you."

"What did you say, May?" John asked, standing up to place a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

May turned to face her husband and smiled. "Open the window please, dear."

"I'm sorry? Do what?"

"Open the window for Peter and Mary Jane. They need to speak with me before I have to go."

Opening his mouth to speak, John decided against it once he saw the look in May's eyes, a look of acceptance. Sighing, and wishing that he could understand what was going on better, John opened the window. Looking back over to May, he found her lying on the bed, and looking weaker than he had ever seen her before in his life, almost as if her age was catching up to her and trying to take her away from him before her time.

"It'll be alright, John," May said, drifting off to sleep. "It has to end this way."

**2**

"Reality is re-correcting itself," Stephen Strange said as the Wand of Watoomb began to develop the portal that would bring Spider-Man, Mary Jane, and Strange to the home occupied by Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson Sr. "Unfortunately, this will mean that those who knew of your identity before the deal will know it once more."

Spider-Man nodded, as he took off his mask, knowing that once again his choices that he had made during the time of Superhuman Registration Act would come back to menace him. He looked over at Mary Jane, who saw the look in his eye and smiled.

"We'll be fine, Peter," she said. "All we have to do is get someone like Tony or Reed to sanction us, and we'll be safe. I believe in you."

Peter smiled back, wishing he had the same amount of confidence that she did. "I know, MJ," he said. "I believe in you too. We'll get through this together. "

"Admirable," said a voice near them, "but hardly necessary."

Turning around to see who it was, Peter found the Watcher looking back at him. Strange halted the portal's continuance to their destination and waited for what the Watcher wanted to say before proceeding.

"What do you mean, 'hardly necessary'?" Strange asked. "No magic can undo make the people of Earth forget who he is underneath the mask."

Uatu smiled. "Then perhaps another source is needed to help Spider-Man and his family out."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked.

"My people—as you so stated earlier in the fight with Mephisto—have vowed never to interfere in the lives of the people that we watch. I have broken this rule many times in my life, because I have seen the worth inside of your species, and wish you to suffer no harm that I can prevent. I, as many of those who could have helped you, was blinded by Mephisto and forced away from you in your hour of most need, so now I come to you to offer that help."

"But why us?" Mary Jane asked. "What have we done to deserve this from you?"

Uatu looked over at Peter, saying, "For years I have found this man to be one of the most exemplary examples of what humankind has to offer the universe. He has many qualities that are used to their fullest to save the lives of others, even if he doesn't know them. His self-sacrifice has led him to restore Adam Warlock to life to defeat Thanos the Mad Titan, be deemed worthy enough to wield the Uni-Power, and later on find it in himself to fight on in the name of those he loved in order to restore reality to its proper place this day. However there is yet another reason for me to bestow this gift upon you: Spider-Man once saved my life many years ago during a day where he thought nothing of what he had done."

Peter looked from Mary Jane to Strange, who both shrugged. He didn't recall ever having saved the life of Uatu, and he was sure that the Watcher had saved him more times than he could even remember, especially since he had just saved him from the cancerous Galactus and the Many-Angled Ones as well.

"Do you recall a time where you played a game of pickup football with a group of small and disadvantaged children who were playing against several of their peers?" Uatu asked.

"Yeah, I do, but what does that have to do with anything?" Peter asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but my aunt is dying and I need to get to her quickly."

"Then I shall be brief. During that game, I was attacked and captured, but I was able to distract my captor with the game, betting with him on the fate of a weapon that could have held drastic consequences for the Galaxy if it was released. He bet against you, when you were down by fifty-six to nothing; I bet for you to win. Your eventual victory allowed me to free myself and punish the one who imprisoned me. Now I shall repay you for your help."

"And here I was just thinking it was a football game."

"When you return to Earth, no one save those you choose to reveal it to will remember who you are. Accept this gift and meet your aunt with my blessing. Know always that I will watch over you with great interest and care, and that you are worth far more than you will ever realize. Farewell, Spider-Man, and my condolences."

Leaving in a flash of light, Peter looked over at Strange, who had already returned to bringing them back to Earth.

"You have received a rare gift, Peter: A second chance," Strange said. "Take care of it."

"You'll never see me squander my identity for the rest of my life," Peter said.

"We are here," Strange said, letting go of the Wand of Watoomb and levitated them into the air. "Farewell, Peter and Mary Jane. Let me know if there is anything I can ever do for you. Until next time."

Disappearing in a swirl of energy, Strange left them alone in the surprisingly silent New York City street.

Looking at Mary Jane, Peter almost spoke, but she interrupted him, "I imagine that she already knows who's under the mask, Peter. There's no reason for you to change before we go to see her now."

Nodding, Peter and Mary Jane walked on the invisible platform Strange had erected for them and walked into the house that his aunt and step-uncle shared through an open window, as they landed on the floor with mixed thoughts. Inside they found May and John, who was staring at Peter with incredulity, almost as if it was impossible for him to be Spider-Man.

"She was right then, I see," John said. "It's been you all along, Peter. You're the one who has always been Spider-Man."

"Yes, I've always been Spider-Man," Peter said, looking over at Aunt May, who was beaming at him, although she coughed between breaths.

"Peter…Mary Jane…you made it," Aunt May said, still smiling. "I'm glad."

Her face was sunken, almost as if it had lost its texture and mass in a matter of seconds. Her body looked weary, more akin to a leukemia patient than a woman who had been perfectly healthy following her recent bout with the change brought on by Mr. Negative days ago.

Walking over to her side, Peter bent down and held her hand, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to escape his eyes, and failing miserably. "I'm here, Aunt May," he said. "I'm so sorry for what I've done to you. This is all my fault."

Aunt May shook her head and coughed. "There you go again taking the blame for every little thing in the world, Peter," she said. "I don't care who's fault it is…it's already happening to us right now, so it's irrelevant."

Mary Jane bent down next to Peter and grimaced as she saw the frail form of Aunt May that lay before her. "I'm so sorry, May," she said.

"It's okay, Mary Jane, I forgive both of you for whatever it is that drags you two down. I love you both more than you'll ever know. John, come here please."

John, hearing his name called, stepped over to them and looked Aunt May in the eyes.

"Watch over them for me," May asked. "Peter and Mary Jane have a tendency to worry too much and I wish that they wouldn't. They are both good souls, and I wish them the best. I want you all to watch out for one another, and for you to see each other as the family that will always stay together, no matter what happens."

Turning to Peter and Mary Jane, Aunt May said, "For all the bad that was done when you two made the deal, a lot of good was also created. Do you know how I know this?"

They shook their heads.

"Your daughter came to me and told me so in a dream," May said, coughing some more. "She was a delightful girl, and one that I really wish I could see again, but she told me that she was just as happy to see me. She always wanted to know the strong woman that she was named after, and I imagine she wasn't disappointed in the least. Do you know what she said? That for all the harm caused by the deal, a lot of happiness was also created, and she was absolutely right. I have a higher appreciation for the life that I have lived now that I realize that I should have died years ago. I met a wonderful man who loved me with all of my heart when I thought that I was doomed to live the rest of my days in solitude, especially after Nathan Lubensky died. John has made my life so much better, and I love you for it.

"And not only that, but she said that millions of lives were saved because of the deal. Did you know that those foul creatures Mephisto allied with would have killed a lot more people had things stayed the way they had before the deal? You making it caused reality to change, and now almost no one was hurt by them. Your mistakes can create as many successes as they can failures in your life, Peter. It was a terrible thing to do, but it worked out in the end, for better or worse."

Aunt May coughed some more, and shifted on the bed. Peter almost tried to hold her still, but she held out a hand, and he backed down.

"Peter I have one last request for you before I die," Aunt May said.

"Anything, Aunt May," Peter said.

"Never give up on being Spider-Man. You have no idea how your continued persistence will change the world around you or how many people you will inspire on to greatness due to the choices you have made. The world needs Spider-Man, now more than ever. Promise me that you will never cast aside the mask in favor of living life easier, Peter."

"I promise, Aunt May."

"Then it's time I left this world behind," Aunt May said. "I love you all."

Still holding onto her hand, Peter felt the life leave his surrogate mother the moment that the hand went limp in his own. Holding the hand tightly, Peter began to cry, as Mary Jane and John embraced him and joined him in the somber chorus.

_I will, Aunt May, _Peter thought. _I will make sure that no one forgets that Spider-Man is meant to be there to help those in need and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that our daughter knows that the woman she will be named after was the strongest one to ever walk the face of the Earth. Mary Jane and I will reconcile our differences, move past this heartache, and be with John for the rest of our lives to honor you. I will never forget the promise that I made to you this night. Now, more than ever, I am Spider-Man._

**3**

Mephisto brooded in his own dimension, where all of his subjects had fled following his recent loss of the powers he had obtained from the deal made with Peter and Mary Jane Parker. He was weaker than he had ever been in his life, so much that the other demon lords were all secretly conspiring to take over his kingdom in order to add his former power to their own, chief among them N'astirh, who was less than pleased in the role Mephisto had forced upon him.

However, Mephisto didn't care about them at all. He would meet them in battle, defeat them, and then force them back to where they came, while he would remain the eternal lord of his dominion. They were nothing compared to him, no matter how weak he was now.

What he did care for, however, was getting his revenge on the one man that had brought down everything he had worked so hard to obtain. While he may have lost the battle, as far as Mephisto was concerned, he would win the war.

And Spider-Man would pay for what he had done to him.

A/N: And that's all folks. I don't know about you, but I had a ton of fun reading and writing this, so much that I really looked forward to working on this whenever I got the chance to. I don't have any plans to follow-up on this, especially since I don't know how I could possibly top something like this off, but I left a little sequel hook just in case. Right now I'm not planning on returning to the world of Spider-Man anytime soon, and will instead focus on _Star Wars_ in my newest fan-fic _The Chosen_ as soon as I get the time to write it down that will focus on a canon character who's being led by a vision to gather several individuals from across the Galaxy that don't have a name that ends with Solo, Skywalker, Calrissian, or Fel. Thanks for the reviews, the criticisms, and everything else that you have provided. I have had a wonderful time writing this and talking with some of you. Until next time.


	12. Q & A

A/N: Hello, everyone. I got some requests from some readers via e-mail to include a Q & A session for the fan-fic, and I thought it sounded like a good idea. This will include e-mails sent to me with questions and questions that were asked previously in reviews, as well as from fans of the story from other sites who have contacted me.

**Silver-Surfer-Guy asks:** **Where did you get the idea for this fan-fic? It sounds like you've been plotting something like this for a long time.**

I first got the idea immediately after reading the trade paperback for _One More Day_, because I refused to be one of those fans that don't actually read the thing they're complaining about, and I really, truly wish I'd never picked it up. It was downright godforsaken. None of it made the least bit of sense to me. Spider-Man and Mary Jane are heroes, and would never willingly forsake the marriage that they had held for—comic book time is hard to decipher, so I'll just use a random number here—four years. And why did they do this? Because Peter couldn't move on past Aunt May's death, even though he had done it canonically several years before. (Yes, it was an actress playing Aunt May, but please, it was intended to be real the first time around, so it fits.) I knew that this had to be fixed, but I just didn't know how to get that done.

It wasn't until I came across the Wall Banger page from TVTropes, where it was debated that there were several characters there that could have easily healed Aunt May, such as Elixir or Dr. Freaking Strange, who has regular talks with god-like beings with amazing, reality-defying powers. There was no way that Spider-Man could not have found someone, even a villain like the High Evolutionary, whose M.O. is recreating what nature intended could not have treated a simple gunshot wound. This made me think that Mephisto had a plan, and that he was clouding their minds in order to get what he wanted. And it kinda fell in place from there, as I filled in certain parts of it to show how this could have been possible and what the consequences would be if this were what really happened.

**Maxing2432 asks: NKSCF, I for one think that your usage of the Adam and Eve symbolism is downright stupid and overplayed. Maybe I've been ruined by stupid things like **_**Twilight**_** that think it's cool to use religious symbolism for idiotic reasons, but I just can't take it anymore. Why would you do this?**

Well, to be perfectly honest with you, Maxing2432, I had accidentally used this symbolism too many times in the first drafts of some of my earlier chapters without my knowing. It wasn't until I started reading them in conjunction with each other that I realized my overuse of them. I meant to use it once, and only once—Chapter 2, IIRC.

I firmly believe in dropping spiritual anvils when they're needed, and I felt that this needed to be addressed in-story, as Spider-Man and Mary Jane had basically just made a deal with Marvel's closest analogue to Satan. I agree with you that people use this symbolism way too much and that it should stop, especially if it's going to involve something as worthless as _Twilight_. (Sorry, fans, I just can't handle mediocre writing and the destruction of the vampire genre. And yes, I have actually read the books, God save my eternal soul.)

**Kairan1979 asks: Prowler and Rocket Racer? It's like sending Crimson Avenger and Speedy against Darkseid.**

Yeah, that was kind of a spur-of-the-moment story idea as I was writing it. Originally it was just Mary Jane fighting off the demons, but I felt that this is New York City Marvel, where all you have to do is walk two steps before encountering Toxin or some other hero or villain so I brought them in to show that a demon invasion of Fifth Avenue isn't going unchecked.

**paycheckgurl asks: 3) You have one minor error. After all the fans complained about the whole "Peter gets drunk and has a one nightstand" plot, they threw in this one scene where they try (emphasis on try) to retcon it away. Aparently, Michelle actually took pitty on Peter and didn't want him to look stupid in front of MJ ("What's her face" as Michelle calls her) and replaced his drink with cider or juice or something (I believe they say, but I can't remember exactly). The reason Peter thought he was drunk was explained away as him not being used to drinking and just assuming he was. The hangover was explained away as a cold or something. Is it back peddling, yes. Does it make any sense, no. But it is the cannon:P**

**4) Kind of wondering about your thoughts on OMIT (One moment in time)the story where we're finially going to find out what happend on Peter and MJ's wedding in the new timeline. Thiught on what it might be?**

We discussed this before, but I thought the audience might like to know my further opinion on this. This was, without a doubt, one of the dumbest bits of character derailment that I have ever seen in my life. This was why they got rid of the marriage? So Peter could have drunken one night stands with beautiful women? Wow, that's just awful. As for their excuse on how Peter wasn't really drunk? That was just as contrived and stupid. Peter has been shown drinking several times before without too much of a hangover. His powers have helped get rid of parts of the problem that normal humans face when drinking too much alcohol.

I think OMIT won't be the greatest thing in the world, but it could still be a good story. I will accept and buy _Amazing Spider-Man_ until they retcon the retcon away and make Spider-Man into the hero that he was meant to be again. However, I still think I could have a fun time when I read it, because just because I disagree with something doesn't mean it's going to be horrible.

**Ophelia&Hamlet4-Ever asks: How did you ever come up with the team that saves Spidey in chapter 7? They aren't exactly what I was expecting at all, but Doom kinda makes sense to me, considering his past with Mephisto and his mother.**

I know, it's not exactly the dream team, now is it? I actually laughed when I finished compiling these guys into a team, because they're a bunch of oddballs brought together because I wanted them there and they fit certain criteria as well to fight Mephisto.

Doom, as you stated, is there because of his past with Mephisto and his anger at being tricked into not offering his aid to Spider-Man to save Aunt May, especially since Spider-Man has saved Doom's life several times before. He also provided a mystical counter to Mephisto that could help them if they ever encountered anything magical that they weren't used to. That, and I really wanted to write Doom talking about Doom in the third-person.

Elixir came to be as a result of reading the Wall Banger page of TVTropes, where it was said that he could heal anything, and I read about him saving a man from death by recreating his heart, after said man had lost his heart for several minutes. He seemed like a natural choice for a healer.

Captain America is, well, Captain America. Everyone looks up to him, as Spidey notes in-story. If you need someone to help you out and their name isn't Spider-Man, you go right to Captain America, and he'll do whatever it takes to help you in your time of need.

Rom was for the Dire Wraiths, and because I have fond memories of his comic series. I really think that Marvel should get him back, because he has a lot of potential.

Ghost Rider was probably the easiest fit of the bunch, seeing as he has a history with Mephisto that mirrors Spider-Man's in this fan-fic. He got screwed over by Mephisto and is always out there looking for a way to make sure Mephisto doesn't get what he wants.

**Marvel nerd asks: Man you know your canon! Hybrid? Moondark? My God you're so knowledgeable when it comes to Marvel history! How do you know all of this?**

Years of reading, my friend, years of reading. My favorite overall Marvel series has to be _Marvel Team-Up_, where Spider-Man would always have, well, a team-up with the hero of the month and sometimes they were the greatest stories ever made. For example, issue 1 led to the redemption of the Sandman, 100 introduced Karma, and Arcade was first introduced to America in 65-66. I absolutely loved this series and wanted to make as many references to it as possible.

I can't claim all the credit for this knowledge, though, so I have to extend a thanks to Wikipedia and Marvunapp for all the help they gave me when I surfed through their articles.

**Doc asks: Any plans for a sequel to this?**

You bet, Doc, but not a sequel in its truest sense. It would merely follow the canon that I created with this and still tie-in to Marvel canon at the same time, with noticeable differences. I will start up on this the moment that I am done with my current fan-fic, a _Star Wars_ story called _The Chosen_. Special thanks go to paycheckgurl, who inspired me to follow-up on _Breaking the Deal_.

A/N: If you have any further questions for me, please just send a review here or contact my via my e-mail, which is on my profile page here. Once more I thank you all for your reviews and for your questions. Until next time…


	13. Sequel Note

A/N: How's it going everyone? It's been a while since I've talked with you and I wanted to bring you a quick update on the sequel to _Breaking the Deal_.

First off, I have to say that I got the idea from paycheckgurl, so if you've liked what I've done, go ahead and thank her for inspiring me to keep writing the brand new continuity I set up at the end of _Breaking the Deal_. If you don't like it, then mess with me instead and tell me what an awful job I've done at your discretion.

Second, this is going to be real short, and I almost debated making a whole new chapter to just make this announcement, but I decided that it might be best to have the people who have this story on their alert to pick it up and spread the news. It would also be beneficial to someone who just happens upon this in the updated stories section of the site.

Now to business: The sequel has been started and may even be up by the end of the day. It will be titled _Repercussions _and will focus on Spider-Man after the events of _Breaking the Deal_. So far I have the story planned out to a hundred "issues" which will basically be a regular story that you don't have to trade wait for or worry about decompression. As you know, the status quo of Spidey's world has been changed since Aunt May died and his marriage with Mary Jane has been restored, along with his secret identity. This will play a major part in what's to come obviously. Mephisto may have been defeated, but there are many beings waiting to fill in the void left by his disappearance.

Continuity-wise, this will still be taking place as if it were in the regular 616 universe, except for the whole marriage-sold-to-Marvel-Satan deal. Spider-Man is still an Avenger and more than likely I will include elements from what Dan Slott has planned for him as well, as I tend to like his writing.

As most of you know, I was willing to give Joe Quesada and _One Moment in Time_ a chance to see if he could bring effective answers to all the burning questions left behind at _One More Day_. Like many of you I was sorely disappointed with the delivery. I'm sorry, but magical "love" powered CPR saving Aunt May when medical science has failed is downright stupid. Having Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, and Iron Man being the ones who make the world forget about Peter's identity is okay, but you can't change what you started. If Mephisto made the deal with Peter and MJ, then Mephisto should still be the reason why all that happened. An author's saving throw does not an effective retcon make.

But enough about that. _Repercussions _is all about bringing Spider-Man back to the basics, without mind boggling retcons and deals with the devil. Expect team-ups galore, the reintroduction of Spider-Man's supporting cast, and hopefully no wall bangers for you to endure. I'm not perfect, but I hope that I can tell a story that most everyone can enjoy.

If you have any questions or comments, just send me a PM and I'll be more than happy to discuss anything with you.

Thanks for all the support,

NKSCF


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